This mystery has remained unanswered for almost 15 years. On December 19, 2008, at 9:05 a.m., the body of Catherine Burgod was discovered in the back of the Montreal-la-Cluse post office. The mother-of-two, 41 and 5 months pregnant, was bathed in a pool of blood – she had been stabbed 28 times in total. It was first the actor Gérald Thomassin, who lived opposite the crime scene, who was suspected of murder. But it was Mamadou Diallo, a high school student at the time, who was remanded in custody four years ago.
I am not a murderer
On Monday April 4, 2022, at 10:10 p.m., the jurors acquitted Mamadou Diallo of “aggravated murder“of which he was accused,”for the benefit of the doubt“, holding against him only the simple theft. He had actually stolen, on the murder scene, the sum of 2490€. “I panicked, I didn’t think, on my way out I took a wad of cash, I ran out but I’m not a murderer“, he had assured the bar. He was sentenced to two years in prison … sentence which he has already covered during his pre-trial detention.
Inevitably, suspicion once again turned to Gérald Thomassin. Former actor Caesarized for his role in the film The Little Criminal, by Jacques Doillon, he had left the film sets to live in a tent near the station with two rats and a dog. He had sold his statuette to pay for drugs and would always have a knife in his bag, according to information from the newspaper The world. He knew Catherine Burgod, the victim, because he went to her counter to withdraw her allowances. Although his DNA was not found at the crime scene, he mysteriously disappeared in 2019.
I’m sure he’s dead
Will the truth ever come to light? Hard to say. According to Gérald Thomassin’s brother, he would simply be dead. “She had committed this murder, he would have confessed everything. If he stood up to it, it’s not him, he says to the magazine Gala. I know him my brother, he is not a murderer! Now I hope someone will tell the truth about his death. Because I’m sure he’s dead. If he were alive, Gerald would have given a sign of life. First, it is very family. Even if he is hurt, he cannot go long without calling. He would have given signs of life since 2019. And then, apart from the films, he needs to have a camera pointed at him, he likes to attract attention…”