PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A Central Falls man who says he was wrongfully accused of murdering a 10-year-old-girl is heading for settlement talks with Pawtucket, just days before the case was set for trial. Joao Monteiro was arrested in 2019 and charged in the 1988 cold case murder of Christine Cole, whose body was found on a beach at Conimicut Point Park in Warwick four months after she vanished. Pawtucket police arrested him and the case made headlines for seemingly solving an enduring mystery. Investigators pointed to DNA evidence as the key evidence that led them to Monteiro, and the fact that he had lived above a local market where Cole was last seen. But seven months after his arrest, charges were dropped after prosecutors found the DNA evidence was not an exact match, putting Monteiro in a group of roughly 2,000 people that could have been responsible for the crime. In 2021, Monteiro sued Det. Susan Cormier, Pawtucket and its police department, as well as the R.I. Department of Health and Tamara Wong, the technician who conducted the DNA testing. He claimed defamation, false imprisonment and constitutional violations. The trial was set for Dec. 2, but on Friday a settlement conference was set after both parties met with U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy. The case was transferred to U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell, who will preside over the settlement talks scheduled to begin on Monday. Pawtucket and the other defendants were dealt a blow last year when McElroy decided not to dismiss the case, ruling there was enough evidence for a jury to decide the outcome of the case. In her decision, McElroy found critical information was omitted from Monteiro’s arrest warrant, which a jury could find was motivated by “ill will” and not “a neutral desire to discern facts.” The missing evidence included the detail that Monteiro didn’t live above the market Cole visited until 13 years after her death, and that the victim was reportedly seen walking near where a different suspect frequented. In the wake of his arrest, Monteiro said he was fired from his job of 15 years and became homeless, according to court documents. If an agreement is reached by the parties it would need to be approved by McElroy, or the case would again be scheduled for trial. Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Sarah Doiron contributed to this report.