Claude Mumbere, 29, was imprisoned on a charge of second-degree murder. Other charges, including sexual assault, could follow, Burlington police said on Tuesday.
Mumbere, of Burlington, is accused of killing 31-year-old city resident Kelley Cusson in Champlain Street Park, a small, manicured park in the King Street neighborhood where children play.
The circumstances surrounding Cusson’s death remained murky on Tuesday, as police said they were still investigating many aspects of the crime. But fingerprints, security footage, clothing and an ID card placed Mumbere at the scene, police said.
“I believe this was a very intentional and targeted meeting,” acting Lt. Michael Beliveau said at a press conference on Tuesday, where he was joined by Mayor Miro Weinberger and Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George.
Cusson’s body was discovered on the morning of July 7 by teachers from the Greater Burlington YMCA who were escorting a group of young children to the playground. Childcare staff called police and made sure the kids did not encounter the scene, according to YMCA officials.
Cusson’s body was found in some brush behind a fence at the back of the park. Her clothing had been torn.
A preliminary autopsy found signs of strangulation, blunt impact and sexual assault, according to a police affidavit filed by Det. Cpl. Krystal Wrinn.
One man told police he had seen Cusson inside a downtown parking garage the previous night. She was going through drug withdrawal, the man told an investigator, and he went to find her a fix. When he returned, Cusson was gone.
Just before midnight on July 6, security cameras captured Cusson and a man wearing a bucket hat walking along Main Street, then turning onto South Champlain Street and walking near the park. About 30 minutes later, a different camera captured a similar-looking man, without the bucket hat, walking away from the park on King Street.
A bucket hat was found underneath Cusson’s body, according to police. Also near Cusson’s body: an identification card for Mumbere’s father, whom police later interviewed.
On July 17, police saw Claude Mumbere riding a bicycle in South Burlington. Two investigators interviewed him about his whereabouts, then arrested him for violating a court condition that he not contact his father. While he was in custody, the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the murder charge.
Mumbere has numerous pending criminal charges since 2020, including for damaging property, obstructing traffic and disorderly conduct. He was also charged with lewd and lascivious conduct in 2021 for allegedly exposing himself in a Burlington park.
Earlier this year, he was charged with breaking windows at the transit center in Rutland.
George said her office was waiting for final autopsy results before contemplating a sexual assault charge.
Weinberger described Cusson as a “mother, a daughter, and a valued member of our community.”
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