In the small town of Woodbury, Vermont, the life of 29-year-old Caucasian female Carol Fradette was tragically cut short on October 30, 2018. On that day, emergency services responded to a fire at her home on Bliss Road, where they made a grim discovery. Inside the burning residence, they found the bodies of Carol and her 48-year-old boyfriend, David Thompson.
The circumstances immediately pointed to a violent end, and the ensuing investigation would uncover a story of drugs and debt.
The initial scene was one of horror; both Fradette and Thompson had been killed before the fire was set, a deliberate act to conceal the homicides. An autopsy would later reveal that Carol Fradette died from a combination of blunt impact and a gunshot wound. Thompson had also been shot multiple times. The couple's three dogs were also found shot and killed at the property, adding to the brutality of the crime. Fradette and Thompson lived in separate homes on the same property, and both residences were set ablaze.
For three years, the case remained a priority for the Vermont State Police as they pieced together the events of that fatal night. Their extensive investigation, involving digital and physical evidence, eventually led them to a suspect. In November 2021, an arrest warrant was issued for Manuel Gomez, then 32, of Hartford, Connecticut. Investigators determined that Gomez was a drug dealer who had been supplying large quantities of heroin to David Thompson. It is believed that Thompson owed Gomez a significant amount of money, possibly more than $20,000, which served as the motive for the killings.
Evidence showed that Gomez traveled from Connecticut to the Woodbury area on the evening of the murders, arriving at Thompson's residence shortly before a neighbor reported the fire. Though Gomez denied any involvement, his statements contradicted the evidence collected by law enforcement. He was formally charged with aggravated murder and first-degree arson in connection with the deaths of Carol Fradette and David Thompson. At the time the warrant was issued, Gomez was already in federal custody in New York for an unrelated firearm conviction.
