A South Bend man has been sentenced for killing a woman with whom he began a relationship with while he was in prison for an unrelated crime.

47-year-old “Nina” Sohlke died due to blunt force trauma to the head and body in October of 2020.

Mark Coleman, 38, began a relationship with Sohlke while he was in prison, and after he was released in the Spring of 2020, the two moved in together and talked about getting married.

Court documents detailed a pattern of control during the months that followed, including instances where Coleman allegedly prevented the victim from attending doctor’s appointments needed due to a kidney transplant and forbidding family members from entering their home to visit Sohlke.

When police discovered Sohlke’s body inside the home, she had already been dead for days.

A jury found Coleman guilty of murder and domestic battery. He’s now sentenced to 65 years in prison.