Weidmann's Last Stand: France's Final Guillotine Execution

0:00It's March 1st, and this episode is brought to you by NordVPN, fast, reliable online privacy. Links in the episode description. Here's what's happening across the UK. Eugen Weidmann, a 31-year-old German serial killer, met his end on June 17th, 1939, as the last person publicly. Executed by Guillotine in France, convicted of five murders for petty thefts, he targeted vulnerable people like tourists and locals, shooting most in the back of the neck. One key victim was 22-year-old American dancer Jean Dickovine, lured from a Paris hotel under a false name. Weidmann kidnapped her for a $500 ransom, killed her, and buried her body under his porch in St. Cloud, along with her camera. Meanwhile, crowds swelled overnight outside St. Pierre Prison in Versailles, with 600 people by 4 a.m., some scaling rooftops for views. Police fenced off the Guillotine, but excitement peaked as Weidmann was rushed to the blade, dying within 10 seconds amid flashing cameras.

1:03The mob's hysteria, including dipping handkerchiefs in his blood, shocked officials and led President Albert LeBron to ban public executions a week. Later, Weidmann's handsome features and intense stare had mesmerized many, especially women, fueling bizarre public interest. His case exposed the string of accomplices who helped cash forged checks, and though he confessed fully, private Guillotine used persisted in France. Until 1977, closing the book on this notorious chapter.