Eugen Weidmann Murderer; last person publicly executed in France Date of Birth: 05.09.1908 Country: France

Biography of Eugen Weidmann

Eugen Weidmann was a German-born criminal who became infamous as the last person publicly executed in France. He was born on September 5, 1908, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, into a family of businessmen. During the outbreak of World War I, Weidmann was sent to live with his grandparents. It was during this time that he began committing his first thefts, but he was only caught in the 1920s and served five years in Saarbrücken prison for robbery.

In prison, Weidmann befriended two men, Roger Million and Jean Blanc, who would later become his accomplices in their criminal activities. Upon their release, they decided to stick together and target wealthy tourists visiting France. To achieve this goal, they moved to France, where Weidmann rented a villa in Saint-Cloud, near Paris.

Their first kidnapping attempt failed as the victim put up a strong resistance, forcing the criminals to release her. However, undeterred, the trio made a second attempt in July 1937. It was during this time that Weidmann met Jean De Koven, a 22-year-old dancer from New York who was visiting Paris. De Koven was charmed by the tall and handsome German man who introduced himself as Siegfried. Unbeknownst to her, Weidmann drugged her with a glass of milk and later strangled her, burying her in the basement of his rented villa.

Weidmann and his accomplices then sent a letter to De Koven's uncle demanding a ransom for her return. Her brother, Henry, arrived in France and offered a reward for any information about his sister's disappearance, but their efforts were in vain as she was already dead.

Weidmann continued his spree of crimes, killing Joseph Couffy, a chauffeur whom he hired for a trip to the French Riviera. He shot Couffy in the back of the head, stole his money and car. In September of the same year, Weidmann, together with Million, murdered Janine Keller, a personal nurse, and stole her money and diamond ring in the Forest of Fontainebleau.

In October, Weidmann and Million lured theater producer Roger LeBlond, promising to invest a large sum of money in one of his shows. Instead, they robbed LeBlond, taking his wallet containing 5,000 francs, and Weidmann killed him like his previous victims.

Weidmann's final murder took place in November when he shot Raymond Lesobre, a real estate agent, while pretending to show him a house for sale. Weidmann received 5,000 francs from the murder.

The law enforcement officers had been monitoring Weidmann since he left his business card in Lesobre's office, and they eventually discovered his residence. As he approached his villa, Weidmann noticed two policemen waiting for him. In a desperate attempt to escape, Weidmann invited the officers in, but then turned and shot them. Although wounded, the officers managed to overpower Weidmann with a nearby hammer. He was arrested and taken to prison.

While in prison, Weidmann confessed to all his crimes, expressing remorse only for the murder of Jean De Koven. He was put on trial in March 1939 in Versailles, where he and Million were sentenced to death, while Blanc received only 20 months in prison, and Million's lover, Collette Tricot, was acquitted.

On June 17, 1939, Weidmann was publicly executed in Versailles. His executioner, Jules-Henri Desfourneaux, requested the time of the execution to be calculated based on the Greenwich Mean Time, resulting in the execution happening during the day, attracting a large crowd of onlookers. Weidmann put on a dramatic display before his execution, begging for forgiveness from God. He was beheaded in front of the crowd.

The filming of Weidmann's execution was captured from a private apartment adjacent to the prison, adding to the controversy surrounding public executions. Roger Million spent another year in prison awaiting his execution but was eventually granted a pardon, commuting his sentence to life imprisonment.