True Crime Podcast, Murder Case, Serial Killers, True Crime · True Crime Podcast, Murder Case, Serial Killers, True Crime

A secret affair with his daughter's friend ended in a triple homicide

·29 min·1 clip

Inside Paulette Gerard’s private office, detectives find walls covered with Brandon photos and a makeshift altar.

1. True Crime Cases Files covers the murder of 18-year-old Brandon Thibodeau in Metairie, Louisiana, after a secret relationship turned violent. 2. The episode centers on Brandon Thibodeau, Detective Michael Duval, Detective Rene Martinez, and Paulette Girard, whose affair with Brandon drives the investigation. 3. The episode asks how a hidden affair, family betrayal, and a business called Beauty Buys led detectives to a first-degree murder case. 4. Brandon Thibodeau was a senior at East Jefferson High School who liked auto mechanics, worked at a local garage, and planned to open an auto repair shop. 5. Brandon lived with his grandmother Mabel, who was blind after a car accident and depended on him for daily care. 6. Brandon had dated Lee Gerard for two years, and they talked about getting married after graduation and starting a family. 7. The transcript says Brandon was also having a secret affair with Lee’s mother, Paulette Girard, who was 43 and ran a multi-level marketing company called Beauty Buys. 8. On August 12, 2021, Mabel noticed Brandon was not moving around the house, and neighbor Mrs. Alice Dupre rushed over after a call for help. 9. Mrs. Dupre found Brandon’s body on the floor, called 911, and described 'blood everywhere' to the operator. 10. Detective Duval described the attack as personal, with multiple stab wounds, blood spatter, and a knife left beside Brandon. 11. Paulette’s interview showed a shift from denial to tears when detectives confronted her about the affair and Brandon’s messages. 12. Lee Gerard told detectives she found sexually explicit text messages between Brandon and Paulette and argued with her mother before the murder. 13. Richard Gerard, Paulette’s husband and Lee’s father, said he was working late and had not known about the affair until after Brandon died. 14. An anonymous informant led detectives to Paulette’s office, where they found a locked room, photographs of Brandon, candles, trinkets, and handwritten notes. 15. The same office also contained documents alleging Beauty Buys exploited vulnerable women in the South and forced them into debt. 16. The arrest came on August 21, 2021, when police arrived at Paulette’s home in the early morning and booked her for Brandon’s murder. 17. The trial began on November 8, 2021, at the Jefferson Parish Courthouse, with Assistant District Attorney Mark Trembley for the prosecution and Charles 'Chuck' Lemoyne for the defense. 18. The tone is procedural and accusatory, with interrogations, a search of the office, and courtroom testimony driving the structure. 19. Listeners interested in family betrayal and local true crime will likely follow this case. 20. Listeners who want light, character-driven crime stories may skip this one.

As heard by us

A fatal mix of secrecy, jealousy, and family fallout gives Brandon Thibodeau's case its weight.

Brandon Thibodeau's story unfolds in a quiet Louisiana setting where secrecy, jealousy, and an illicit relationship end in tragedy. The narration follows his ordinary days at school, in auto mechanics, at a garage job, and while caring for his grandmother, which keeps the loss…

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Why you'd press play

If you want a Metairie true-crime story where a hidden relationship and murder tear through a quiet suburb, start here.

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