Coleman’s conviction and sentence of kidnapping resulting in death has been upheld by the appeals court. The decision, announced by Judge Julie Rikelman, stated that after thorough review of the trial’s extensive record, no errors were found in the district court proceedings.
Coleman was found guilty in June 2022 after a federal jury trial that spanned three weeks. Disturbing surveillance footage played during the trial showed Coleman leading 23-year-old Correia to his car in Boston’s Theater District around 2 a.m. on February 24, 2019, and later carrying her limp, partially disrobed body into his Providence apartment hours afterward.
A massive search for Correia commenced after she failed to return home following a night out celebrating her upcoming birthday with friends. The search concluded four days later when Coleman was apprehended by State Police on a highway in Delaware, where Correia’s body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase in his vehicle’s trunk.
According to prosecutors, Coleman lured Correia into his car under the pretense of offering her a ride home after she became separated from her friends outside the Venu nightclub. During the trial, it was revealed that Coleman sexually assaulted Correia before ultimately strangling her to death while she fought for her life.
Defense attorneys David P. Hoose, Jane Peachy, and Wade Zolynski argued in their sentencing memorandum that it was an intoxicated Correia who initiated the struggle, maintaining that their sexual encounter was consensual. However, the appeals court rejected this assertion, stating that the evidence presented at trial clearly indicated a violent struggle.
Coleman’s appeal included the argument that evidence suggesting he kidnapped Correia for sexual gratification was improperly admitted since the indictment did not explicitly allege such intent. Judge Rikelman rebutted this, emphasizing that the evidence of struggle within the car and footage of Correia’s attire was sufficient to establish a likelihood that Coleman intended to sexually assault her, cover up a crime, or prevent the reporting of a crime.
Any of these intentions, Rikelman noted, would align with the broad definitions outlined in the federal kidnapping statute. The court affirmed that the evidence supported the government’s case and justified the trial’s admissions.
At Coleman’s sentencing, Correia’s family shared their anguish and heartbreak over the loss of their loved one. Correia’s mother, Salete Vicente Valadeiro, confronted Coleman directly, questioning his motives and labeling him a monster for his actions.
Growing up in Dorchester and working as a hostess at Del Frisco’s restaurant in Boston, Correia had left her 2-year-old daughter, Gabriela, with her grandmother before heading out for the night with friends. She had planned on spending the night at a friend’s house in Dorchester and intended to collect her daughter the following day, as testified during the trial.
During the hearing, six relatives of Correia, including her parents, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend, expressed their profound grief and confusion, pleading for answers regarding her untimely death. “I have this pain inside my heart,” Correia’s aunt, Euprepia Correia, lamented, asking why Coleman felt it necessary to take her life.
Coleman refrained from speaking during the sentencing, leaving many questions unanswered for those mourning Correia’s tragic loss.
image source from：bostonglobe
