With Jassy Correia's Family Watching, Coleman Faces Judge

BOSTON — The man who federal authorities said kidnapped Jassy Correia and was pulled over on I-95 in Delaware with her body in the truck of his car walked into in federal court in Boston Monday wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit, hands and feet shackled, to face charges as Correia's family looked on.

"This is not a trial," Judge M. Page Kelley told Louis D. Coleman III, reiterating that this was an initial court appearance to affirm Coleman understood his right to remain silent and to make sure he had council, and to ask him his position on detention.

Kelley said Coleman qualified for a court appointed attorney, but he could hire his own if he wanted. Coleman is being held without bail.

The courtroom, which included at least 10 members of Correia's family dressed in black, as well as members of Coleman's family, was silent throughout the entire appearance.

Moments before the proceeding began, Correia's family, including Jassy's father and brother, filed into the courtroom and sat next to Suffolk District Attorney Rachel Rollins.

Coleman was led into the court by US Marshals who unshackled his hands and then stood nearby. As he took a seat, his court-appointed lawyer Jane Peachy placed her hand on his back.

Throughout the court proceeding, which took less than four minutes, the family appeared to look at the judge and at the back of Coleman.

Coleman stood at times as the judge addressed him, holding his hands behind his back and appearing to look at her as she spoke.

At the conclusion of the proceeding, a US Marshal re shackled Coleman's hands and the three men lead him away.

Family members did not speak after the hearing, but Rollins told reporters she was there because "Jassy is ours."

Coleman, 32, of Providence, R.I., is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death. That federal charge carries a possible mandatory life sentence and is also death-penalty eligible. Coleman was in a Delaware court last week before he was extradited to Massachusetts.

Correia was kidnapped while leaving the Venu Night Club in Boston Feb. 24, where she was celebrating her 23d birthday, authorities said.

Her case - occurring just weeks after another Boston woman was kidnapped - garnered national attention and set off a multi-state manhunt once Coleman was identified as the suspect.

Her body was found five days after she went missing, inside a suitcase in the trunk of Coleman's car. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said police found her body naked, bound, bruised and covered in what was believed to be in baking soda.

Coleman essentially waived his preliminary hearing and voluntarily agreed to be held in detention without bail.

Michael Coyne, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, who was in the courtroom watching Monday, said it's not unusual that Coleman did not ask for bail, because with the evidence already against him it is highly unlikely bail would be granted.

The initial court appearance is generally the first time someone can protest charges brought against them.

"This is not going to be an easy case to defend," Coyne told Patch following Coleman's initial appearance. "And that is based on the evidence they have already against him."

Coyne said he would not be surprised if Coleman gets the death penalty, noting two recent death penalty cases in the state were the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Gary Lee Sampson. One difference? Both of those men were accused of killing a number of people.

"We'll have to see what the rest of the evidence is. And you'd have to consider a plea deal," he said.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling was also in the courtroom Monday. No d

RELATED:

• Jassy Correia Missing: Police Searching For Person Of Interest (Feb. 27)
• Police ID Rhode Island Man As Suspect in Jassy Kidnapping
• Louis Coleman Arrested In Delaware (Feb. 28)
• Police Arrest Main Suspect In Jassy Correia's Kidnapping, Murder(Feb. 28)
• Coleman To Face Charges In Rhode Island (March 1)
• More Details Emerge About Louis Coleman And What Was Found In His Home (March 3)
• Jassy Correia's Accused Kidnapper To Be Moved To Boston (March 4)
• Jassy Correia Had Been Kidnapped Once Before (March 5)

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).