Columbus man sentenced to 27 years to life in prison for murdering his wife in 2021

On July 26, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen McIntosh sentenced Mamadou Diallo, 43, of Columbus to a term of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 27 years for the 2021 murder of his wife.

Diallo will be required to register as a violent offender and an arson offender upon release.

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

Firefighters responding to a call on Sept. 30, 2021 found the victim dead inside a home on Columbus’ far east side. Diallo and their two young children were found safely outside. A criminal investigation began when firefighters discovered the victim’s body with a USB-type charging cord around her neck and a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid beneath her body.

Investigators determined the victim was killed by a combination of strangulation and thermal burns. Detectives discovered that, despite his claims, Diallo had been in the home before the fire began. They also discovered one of Diallo’s shirts stained with his wife's blood.

After a six-day trial, a Franklin County jury agreed with Helffrich and Wenger that Diallo strangled his wife in their home before setting her body on fire. The jury convicted Diallo of two counts of murder, aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.

Cory Helffrich and Beau Wenger, both assistant prosecuting attorneys with the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case. Judge McIntosh imposed the sentence Helffrich and Wenger requested, the maximum possible.