BOSTON (WHDH) - A Rhode Island man accused in the death of a 23-year-old Lynn woman pleaded not guilty to a kidnapping resulting in death charge in Boston’s federal court on Tuesday.
Louis Coleman III, 32, of Providence, allegedly kidnapping Jassy Correia, the mother of a 2-year-old girl, in Boston before her dead body was reportedly found in the trunk of his car in Delaware on Feb. 28.
His next court appearance is scheduled for June 14.
Court documents allege that investigators identified Coleman as the man who left a Boston nightclub with Jassy Correia shortly before she was reported missing on Feb. 24, according to an announcement issued Thursday by U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling’s Office.
Surveillance recordings from his Providence apartment building allegedly showed Coleman parking and leaving a vehicle around 4:15 a.m. before returning a short time later carrying a blanket. He could then be seen carrying a body with long hair and clothing consistent with what Correia was wearing when she left the nightclub, according to court documents.
“Once he entered the building, surveillance video showed Coleman dropping the victim on the floor and dragging her towards the elevator, and subsequently towards his apartment unit,” the charging document read. “The victim was not moving and her body was limp.”
An investigation later revealed that two days later, Coleman went to Walmart and bought three Tyvek suits, duct tape, two candles, electrical tape, one mask, surgical gloves, two pairs of safety goggles, an odor respirator and CLN release bleach bath.
Then, on Feb. 27, prosecutors say Coleman was recorded entering his apartment building with what appeared to be a new, large suitcase before returning to his car with the next day and putting it in the trunk.
On Feb. 28, investigators searching a dumpster outside of the apartment complex allegedly found white trash bags, a bag containing plastic sheets, men’s jeans with bleach stains and a belt, a white nylon hooded coverall, an empty box of baking soda, clear safety goggles, a respirator mask, duct tape packaging, rubbing alcohol, Walmart bags, used plastic gloves, an empty package from a car air freshener, three empty packages of purifying charcoal and a sponge.
Later that afternoon, prosecutors say Coleman was stopped by authorities on I-95 south in Wilmington, Delaware and told officers, “She’s in the trunk.” He was then arrested.
A duffle bag, a pair of new long-handled loppers, plastic garbage bags, clothing, a red plastic gas container, a green butane lighter, black gloves, charcoal air purifiers, air fresheners, tinted safety glasses, plastic Walmart bags, work towels, cloth work-gloves, a new set of DeWalt pliers, a laptop, a computer hard-drive/tower, and disinfectant wipes were also allegedly recovered in Coleman’s vehicle.
The charge of kidnapping resulting in death provides for a sentence of death or life in prison.
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