Madison Township man says he'll appeal life sentence in wife's 2021 strangling death, arson

Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Mamadou Diallo, 43, of Madison Township, seen here during his trial earlier in July in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, was found guilty July 19 of charges of murder, aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse in the 2021 strangulation of his wife, 32-year-old Fatoumata Diallo, whom authorities say he then set on fire inside their home. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Stephen McIntosh sentenced him Wednesday to life in prison with the opportunity for parole after 27 years.

A Madison Township man faces life in prison with a chance for parole after at least 27 years in the 2021 murder of his wife, whom he then set afire in their home.

Franklin County prosecutors charged Mamadou Diallo, 43, originally of Guinea, with fatally strangling his 32-year-old wife, Fatoumata Diallo, with a USB cord on Sept. 30, 2021. He then set her on fire, burning a room of their home and destroying evidence.

On July 19, a Franklin County jury found Diallo guilty of murder, aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.

During his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Diallo maintained his innocence and said he intends to appeal his conviction. He said, through an interpreter, that he loves his family.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Stephen McIntosh said this was one of the worst cases he's seen in his 17 years as a judge.

"I cannot think of someone doing anything worse to another human being," McIntosh said.

McIntosh gave Diallo the maximum possible sentence and an indefinite prison term of 27-31 years before he is eligible for parole.

More than a dozen members of Fatoumata Diallo’s family attended Wednesday's sentencing. Her cousin, Fatoumata Bokoum, said many women in her community suffer violence at the hands of men, and she is grateful justice was done. She said four young children, ages 2-9, are without their mother now.

The day Fatoumata Diallo died, her husband called 911 around 1 p.m. and told a dispatcher he arrived home to find there was a fire and immediately got their four young children out, according to testimony during the trial.

Footage from the home’s video doorbell played at trial contradicts Mamadou Diallo’s version of events, showing that Diallo arrived home about 40 to 50 minutes before the fire started. Investigators also found a small amount of his wife's blood on a shirt inside his vehicle.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutors Beau Wenger and Cory Helffrich said during the trial that when firefighters and police arrived, Diallo was calm and did not ask anybody to go in to save his wife.

More court news: Former Marine testified he was defending his neighbors. Jury finds him guilty of murder.

jlaird@dispatch.com

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus-area man to appeal life sentence in wife's strangling, arson