A heinous murder. An unbearable trial. The death of jeweler Ndongo Guéye remains unforgettable. The trial of Bassirou Thiam for murder with acts of barbarity, concealment of a body, and theft will go down in legal history, so chilling were the accounts of the accused, Bassirou Thiam. They gripped the entire audience in the Pikine-Guédiawaye courtroom. The accused, despite his multiple versions of events to justify his unspeakable act, claimed self-defense. A confession made in front of the widow. The accused risks spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Bassirou Thiam, a jeweler residing in Pikine, was remanded in custody on February 22, 2022, and was tried this Wednesday in the Pikine-Guédiawaye criminal court. He is accused of murder committed with acts of barbarity, concealing a corpse, and theft. He had killed his jewelry supplier, Ndongo Guéye, whose lifeless body was found in his own vehicle.

A crime of exceptional cruelty

According to the indictment issued by the investigating judge of the Pikine-Guédiawaye High Court on February 14, 2022, Lamine Guéye went to the Golf Sud police station to report the disappearance of his 36-year-old brother, Ndongo Guéye. According to his statement, the victim had left his home in the Cité Fadia neighborhood the previous day, around 9:00 a.m., to go to his client Bassirou Thiam's house in Pikine to collect a debt. Having had no news for several hours, the family tried to contact Bassirou Thiam. He explained that Ndongo Guéye had indeed gone to his house to collect 6.395 million CFA francs before returning later that evening, claiming he had left his cell phone in his room.

Investigating police officers quickly went to the suspect's home and arrested him. Placed in custody, Bassirou Thiam maintained his version of events. But the next day, a new twist would plunge the case into horror. On February 15, the Parcelles Assainies police station informed the Dakar Urban Security Division of the discovery of a lifeless body in a gray Toyota Auris, license plate DKS 840 AY, abandoned near the Diamono field. At the scene, police discovered a bag containing the body of a man with severe facial injuries, swollen eyelids, and his mouth gagged with blood-stained cotton. The body was formally identified as that of Ndongo Guéye. The investigation then took a new turn.

The victim's relatives revealed that Ndongo Guéye was carrying over 400 grams of raw gold that day, along with a notebook containing the names of several debtors. Modou Guéye, the deceased's brother, explained that the victim's phone had been located at Malibu Beach after his disappearance. The victim's wife also confirmed that her husband had gone out with a bag containing gold.

Several testimonies have weakened Bassirou Thiam's defense. Mouhamadou Mourtalla Thiam, a former associate of the accused, claims to have severed all professional ties with him following financial disagreements. Another witness, Cheikh Modou Massamba Thiam, a close friend of the victim, recounts seeing Ndongo Guéye's vehicle parked in front of Bassirou Thiam's home the night before the body was discovered. He explains that when he returned to the scene later with relatives, the car was gone and no one answered the door at the suspect's apartment despite repeated calls.

What the search revealed

The search of Bassirou Thiam's home also proved incriminating. Investigators discovered bloodstained clothing, a bloodstained sheet, a pillow with a hole in it containing white cotton, an empty gas cylinder, yellow metal jewelry, and a large sum of money in his apartment. Traces of blood were also found on the mattress on the floor. To justify himself, Bassirou Thiam claimed the stains came from sheep slaughtered during a family baptism and asserted that he regularly suffered from bleeding mouths while sleeping.

Driving lessons using the victim's vehicle

But another testimony contradicts his statements. Serigne Fallou Diop, described as a driving instructor, claims he was contacted by Bassirou Thiam on the evening of the incident to give him driving lessons at the Amadou Barry stadium. According to him, they rode together in the victim's gray vehicle before returning to park in front of the suspect's home. A driver based in Saly, Souleymane Diao, states that Ndongo Guéye's vehicle struck his car during the night before the driver fled on foot after a chase towards the VDN extension. Analysis of phone data also revealed that Bassirou Thiam's phone was located in several areas of Pikine and Guédiawaye during the night of the incident, while the last signal from the victim's phone came from Malibu beach.

Faced with the mounting evidence against him, Bassirou Thiam finally confessed to the investigating judge. He admitted to killing Ndongo Guéye and detailed the circumstances of the tragedy. According to his statement, the victim had returned home in the evening to retrieve his cell phone, which he had supposedly left behind. An argument broke out after Ndongo Guéye showed interest in a piece of jewelry. Bassirou Thiam claims he was insulted and then punched in the face before retaliating violently. He further maintains that the victim attempted to pull out a firearm, which led him to use a gas canister before strangling him to death.

Panicked after the murder, he explained that he left the body in his room before seeking help to move the vehicle. The victim's body was ultimately abandoned in the Toyota Auris, which was found a few hours later by police.

In the dock of the criminal court, Bassirou Thiam continues to deny any intention of killing Ndongo Guéye, despite the damning autopsy findings and the evidence gathered by investigators. The jeweler, charged with murder with acts of barbarity, concealment of a corpse, and theft, is trying to convince the court that it was a fight that went wrong.

Dressed entirely in white, the accused, recounting the events, described an altercation with the victim in his Pikine apartment, but denied any premeditation. "I didn't want to kill him," he said. According to his version of events, Ndongo Guéye had returned home in the evening to retrieve a forgotten cell phone. However, an argument broke out over a piece of jewelry before the situation escalated. The accused claims that the victim insulted him and then punched him in the face.

But the prosecutor's persistent questions will put him in a difficult position. How then to explain the autopsy report's conclusions, which suggest strangulation combined with a cervical spine dislocation? How to justify the traces of blood found in his room, as well as the fact that the body was wrapped in a plastic bag and then abandoned in the victim's vehicle on the VDN (Voie de Dégagement Nord)?

Faced with these questions, Bassirou Thiam admits to having strangled Ndongo Guéye, while maintaining that he acted in a moment of panic. "We were fighting. I squeezed his neck, but I didn't think he was going to die," he declares.

The civil parties, for their part, struggled to contain their emotion when the autopsy details were recounted. The forensic report, presented at the hearing, concluded that the death was violent, caused by mechanical asphyxiation through strangulation accompanied by a severe cervical injury—injuries which, according to the doctor, indicated the use of extreme force and a clear intent to kill. The prosecution thus believes that the actions taken after the death also demonstrate a clear attempt to cover it up.

After the victim's death, his body was placed in a plastic bag before being abandoned in the back of his vehicle to cover his tracks.

Despite the scientific evidence and witness testimonies submitted to the court, Bassirou Thiam continues to deny the intentional nature of the crime. This line of defense has left some members of the public skeptical, given the violence of the events described before the court.

"I dragged the body down from the 3rd floor..."

In court, Bassirou Thiam recounted the events of the murder: “He had given me 14 million CFA francs worth of gold. I paid him back, leaving a balance of 6 million CFA francs. On the day of the incident, when he came to my house early in the morning, I opened my wardrobe where I kept 8 million CFA francs. I gave him the 6 million I owed him. That's when he left. He came back 30 minutes later. He had seen a gold bracelet at my house. A woman named Mame Bousso Niass had ordered it. He told me to give it to her. I refused. I told him the woman would get it. He started calling me all sorts of names. We fought. I broke his tooth. Blood gushed out. That's when he grabbed a knife.” He rushed towards me, brandishing the weapon. He wanted to stab me. I defended myself by parrying before grabbing his hand. Then I sprayed him with a gas pump. Despite the effect of the gas, he came back at me. That's how I strangled him for a few moments before dropping him onto the bed,” he said before continuing.

“I put cotton in his nose to stop the bleeding. I left the body in my room and went to Thiaroye to get a bag, which I used to put the body in to dispose of it. When I returned, his family came to get him. But I didn't open the door because I didn't want them to see the body. Around 3:00 a.m., since I lived on the third floor, I dragged the body down the stairs. I put the body on the back seat. I started the car. But I didn't know where to put the body. Despite this, I drove the car. I hit a vehicle near Bountou Pikine. But I didn't stop because I didn't want the body to be discovered. The taxi driver chased me all the way to the VDN,” the accused recounted. He concluded his statements by maintaining that he had not intended to kill Ndongo Guéye. He also clarified that he had not stolen the victim's money.

The heirs are claiming 500 million in damages and interest

The widow, Sokhna Oumy Thiam, said she was eight months pregnant. “I gave birth 40 days after his death. My husband wasn't violent. I don't believe he fought with him. My husband was supposed to travel the next day. That's why I wasn't worried,” she declared in court. Her lawyer, Mr. Weber, stated that Bassirou had summoned Ndongo to his home to attempt to kill him. According to the lawyer, the accused has plunged a family into poverty. He has also caused immense grief to a child born after the death. On behalf of the heirs, Mr. Weber requested 500 million CFA francs in damages.

The prosecutor is asking for a life sentence, the defense for leniency.

In his observations, the public prosecutor argued that the claim of self-defense could not exonerate the accused. Referring to the findings of the death certificate, the prosecution was convinced that Bassirou Thiam had premeditated his heinous act. Regarding the charge of concealing a corpse, the prosecutor maintained that the accused had attempted to dispose of the body after committing the crime. Asserting that the accused had not shown remorse, the prosecutor requested a life sentence.

The defense, led by Ms. Mame Coumba Kane, after paying tribute to the deceased, did not believe her client was a monster, as the case file portrayed him. The lawyer contested the prosecution's case. According to her, Bassirou Thiam did not intend to kill. She argued that premeditated murder had not been established. Ms. Kane cited Article 282 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to refute the ambush charge. However, she acknowledged that a fight had broken out, thus downplaying the acts of barbarity. Ms. Kane argued for the charge to be reduced from murder with acts of barbarity to manslaughter.

Regarding the charge of concealing a corpse, the lawyer believes it is a logical consequence. In her view, Bassirou Thiam should be acquitted of this offense. As for the theft, Ms. Kane stated that no evidence has been presented to establish that he stole the deceased's belongings and cash. Ms. Coumba Kane requested the court's understanding and a lenient application of the penal code.

The public prosecutor responded regarding the charge of concealing a corpse. "The law states: anyone who has concealed..." The defense maintained its arguments.

The verdict is scheduled for July 7, 2026.