VERSAILLES, FRANCE – JUNE 17, 1939 Eugène Weidmann (1908–1939) was a German-French serial killer who became the last person to be publicly executed in France. He was convicted of the kidnappings and murders of six people in 1937. Weidmann and his accomplices lured victims under various pretenses, such as job offers or investment opportunities, only to rob and murder them. He was eventually arrested and tried in 1939.
Eugène Weidmann
On June 17, 1939, he was executed by guillotine in front of the prison in Versailles. The execution caused a great public uproar—spectators behaved disorderly, with some even photographing and filming the event. The scandalous atmosphere led the French government to decide that all future executions would be conducted behind closed doors. Thus, Weidmann’s execution became the last public execution in France.
His execution
The last person to be executed in France was Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of the torture and murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1974. He was executed by guillotine on September 10, 1977, at Baumettes Prison in Marseille. His execution was also the last guillotine execution in the world. A few years later, in 1981, France abolished the death penalty entirely.
