This article explains why Eugen Weidmann – a German criminal – was publicly executed by guillotine on June 17, 1939, before a crowd of hundreds, becoming the last public execution in French history. The content is based on court records, contemporary newspapers, and historical sources. It does not aim to glorify violence or advocate for crime.
The Last Public Execution in France: Why the Guillotine Was Used in 1939
In the early morning hours of June 17, 1939, outside the Saint-Pierre Prison in Versailles, hundreds of people gathered. They did not come to protest or mourn. They came to witness a death – the death of Eugen Weidmann, 31, a German criminal who had committed a series of murders in the Paris area in 1937. He was the last person to be publicly executed by guillotine in France. The chaotic behavior of the crowd that day led French President Albert Lebrun to ban all future public executions. This article explains why Weidmann was publicly executed – and why his case became a turning point in French judicial history.
1. Who Was Weidmann? From Small-Time Criminal to Killer
Eugen Weidmann was born on February 5, 1908, in Frankfurt, Germany, into a wealthy business family . During World War I, he was sent to live with his grandparents and began his criminal path as a child. At age 20, he received a five-year prison sentence for robbery in Saarbrücken .
While in prison, Weidmann met two men who would become his accomplices: Roger Million (French) and Jean Blanc (English) . After their release, they planned to kidnap foreign tourists visiting France to steal their belongings. They rented a villa in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, as their base.
2. The 1937 Crime Spree: 6 Victims in a Few Months
Between July and November 1937, Weidmann and his accomplices committed a series of murders that shook France.
The first victim was Jean de Koven, a 22-year-old American dancer . Weidmann lured her to the villa in Saint-Cloud and killed her, burying her body in the garden. He later expressed regret for this crime.
On September 1, 1937, Weidmann hired a driver named Joseph Couffy to take him to the Riviera. During the trip, he killed the driver and stole his car along with 2,500 francs .
On September 3, 1937, Weidmann and Million lured Janine Keller, a private nurse, into a cave in the Fontainebleau forest with a job promise. Weidmann killed her and stole 1,400 francs and a diamond ring .
On October 16, 1937, Weidmann and Million met Roger LeBlond, a young stage producer, with an investment proposal. Instead, Weidmann killed him and took 5,000 francs .
On November 22, 1937, Weidmann killed Fritz Frommer, a German Jew he had met in prison . Frommer’s body was buried in the villa’s cellar.
On November 27, 1937, Weidmann committed his final murder. Raymond Lesobre, a real estate broker, was killed while showing Weidmann a house in Saint-Cloud. Weidmann stole 5,000 francs .
In total, Weidmann confessed to killing 6 people. He expressed regret only for his first victim.
3. Arrest After a Shootout
Police traced Weidmann through a business card left at Lesobre’s office . On December 8, 1937, two Sûreté Nationale inspectors went to the villa in Saint-Cloud. Weidmann, who was there, drew a gun and shot both inspectors . Despite being wounded, the inspectors managed to wrestle him down and knocked him unconscious with a hammer.
During the search, police found the bodies of two victims buried on the villa grounds .
Weidmann cooperated fully during interrogation, confessing to all his crimes . However, he did not betray his accomplices; they turned themselves in a few days later.
4. The Trial and Death Sentence
The trial of Weidmann, Million, Blanc, and Tricot took place in March 1939 in Versailles. It was the biggest criminal trial in France since the case of Henri Désiré Landru (“Bluebeard”) 18 years earlier . Psychiatrists described Weidmann as a “superior degenerate” (dégénéré supérieur) .
On March 31, 1939, the verdict was delivered:
Eugen Weidmann and Roger Million: death by guillotine
Jean Blanc: 20 months in prison
Colette Tricot: acquitted
Later, Roger Million’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by President Albert Lebrun . However, Lebrun refused to pardon Weidmann.
5. Why Was Weidmann Publicly Executed?
The question arises: why was Weidmann’s execution held in public, before a crowd?
The answer lies in French law at the time. Public execution was the standard form for death sentences in France for centuries, dating back to the French Revolution . Although there had been criticism of the barbaric nature of this practice, the French government had not formally abolished it until after the Weidmann case.
Weidmann was not specially chosen for public execution – it was the standard execution method in France at the time.
6. The Execution and the Crowd’s Behavior
In the early morning of June 17, 1939, the guillotine was erected outside the Saint-Pierre Prison in Versailles. Hundreds of people had gathered since midnight, jostling for good spots . Some climbed onto rooftops and clung to chimneys to get a better view .
Due to technical difficulties and the delay of executioner Jules-Henri Desfourneaux (who replaced the recently deceased official executioner), the execution was delayed by 45 minutes . The sun had already risen when Weidmann was led out, allowing photographers to capture clear images and a film – a rarity in previous executions.
The execution was carried out, and Weidmann was pronounced dead.
Afterward, the crowd erupted. A wave of “yelling and shouting” ran through the crowd . Many rushed toward the guillotine, collecting souvenirs. Some even popped champagne to celebrate .
The French newspaper Paris-Soir denounced the crowd as “disgusting”, “unruly”, “jostling, clamouring, whistling” .
7. A Notable Witness: Christopher Lee, Age 17
Among those watching Weidmann’s execution was a 17-year-old English youth named Christopher Lee. He would later become one of the most legendary actors in cinema history, famous for his roles as Dracula, Saruman in The Lord of the Rings, and Count Dooku in Star Wars.
Lee recalled that he had been taken to the execution by friends as a “spectacle.” He stood in the crowd and witnessed the event. The image haunted him for the rest of his life.
8. The Consequence: A Permanent Ban on Public Executions
The chaos of Weidmann’s execution was the final straw. The French government, already under criticism for maintaining public executions, decided to act. President Albert Lebrun requested an official report, and just one week later, on June 24, 1939, Prime Minister Édouard Daladier issued a decree abolishing public executions .
From that day forward, every death sentence in France was to be carried out within prison walls, privately, without public witnesses. The decree took effect immediately – the next execution (of Jean Dehaene on July 19, 1939, in Saint-Brieuc) was already carried out behind closed prison gates .
The guillotine continued to be used in France until 1977. In September 1981, France formally abolished the death penalty under President François Mitterrand.
9. Why Did the Crowd Act That Way? A Psychological Analysis
Contemporary commentators and later historians have offered various explanations for the crowd’s behavior at Weidmann’s execution. Some argued that, in the tense period before World War II, the French public was seeking an outlet for their anxiety. Others pointed out that Weidmann, with his handsome appearance, had become an obsessive figure in the public imagination. The combination of horror and fascination created a crowd that both wanted to witness his death and to collect souvenirs.
Eugen Weidmann was not France’s most notorious criminal, nor was he the most brutal killer (he killed 6 people). But his death holds a special historical significance: it marked the end of an era in which death was staged as public theater. From 1792, when the guillotine began its operation, tens of thousands of people died beneath its blade . But the frenzied crowd that day finally forced even the French government to intervene.
Public execution was no longer seen as a deterrent or an act of justice. It had become a disgrace. And since June 17, 1939, no one has been publicly beheaded on French soil. Eugen Weidmann was the last.
Primary Sources:
Archives Nationales de France – Weidmann case files and execution records of June 17, 1939
Paris-Soir newspaper, edition of June 18, 1939
The New York Times – “DE KOVEN SLAYERS SENTENCED TO DIE” (April 1, 1939)
Historical studies of the guillotine and public executions in France
Memoirs and interviews of actor Christopher Lee
Documents on the abolition of public executions (June 24, 1939)