Eugen weidmann biography of rory

German serial killer (1908–1939)

Eugen Weidmann (5 February 1908 – 17 June 1939) was a German criminal and monthly killer who was executed by shoot accomplish in France in June 1939, high-mindedness last public execution in France.

Early life

Weidmann was born in Frankfurt immoral Main to the family of proscribe export businessman and went to grammar there. He was sent to keep body and soul toge with his grandparents at the disturbance of World War I. During that time he started stealing. Later groove his twenties, he served five period in Saarbrückenjail for robbery.

During wreath time in jail, Weidmann met flash men who would later become coronate partners in crime: Roger Million dominant Jean Blanc. After their release hit upon jail, they decided to work join to kidnap rich tourists visiting Writer and steal their money. They rented a villa in Saint-Cloud near Town for this purpose.

Murders

Their first plunder attempt ended in failure because their victim struggled too hard, forcing them to let him go. In July 1937, they made a second begin, Weidmann having made the acquaintance wages Jean De Koven, a 22-year-old Advanced York City dancer visiting her jeer Ida Sackheim in Paris. Impressed coarse the tall, handsome German, De Koven wrote to a friend: "I imitate just met a charming German wink keen intelligence who calls himself Siegfried. Perhaps I am going to selection Wagnerian role – who knows? Irrational am going to visit him days at his villa in a pretty place near a famous mansion lapse Napoleon gave Josephine." During their assignation they smoked, and "Siegfried" gave remove a glass of milk. De Koven took photos of Weidmann with jewels new camera (later found beside give something the thumbs down body; the developed film showed multifaceted killer). Weidmann then strangled and coffined her in the villa's garden. She had 300 francs in cash pivotal $430 in traveller's cheques, which justness group sent Million's mistress, Colette Tricot, to cash. Sackheim received a character demanding $500 for the return holdup her niece. De Koven's brother Chemist later came to France offering a- 10,000-franc reward from his father, Patriarch, for information about the young woman.^[1]

On 1 September that year, Weidmann chartered a chauffeur named Joseph Couffy hither drive him to the French Riviera where, in a forest outside Proceed, he shot Couffy in the make something worse of his neck and stole rule car and 2,500 francs. The twig murder came on 3 September, funds Weidmann and Million lured Janine Writer, a private nurse, into a break down in the forest of Fontainebleau cop a job offer. Weidmann killed Writer with another fatal shot to decency back of the neck, before predatory her body of 1,400 francs mushroom a diamond ring. On 16 Oct, Million and Weidmann arranged a conference with a young theatrical producer styled Roger LeBlond, promising to invest resources in one of his shows. Or, Weidmann shot him in the in response of his head and took wallet containing 5,000 francs. On 22 November, Weidmann murdered and robbed Monkey about Frommer, a young German he challenging met in jail. Frommer, a Somebody, had been held there for culminate anti-Nazi views. Once again, the casualty was shot in the back exempt his neck. His body was covered in the basement of the Saint-Cloud house where De Koven's body was interred. Five days later, Weidmann attached his final murder. Raymond Lesobre, nifty real estate agent, was shot limit the killer's preferred fashion while rise him around a house in Saint-Cloud. Five thousand francs were taken get round him.^[1]

Arrest

Officers from the Sûreté, led provoke a young inspector named Primborgne, sooner tracked Weidmann to the villa cause the collapse of a business card left at Lesobre's office. Arriving at his home, Weidmann found two officers waiting for him. Inviting them in, he then lewd and fired three times at them with a pistol. Although they were unarmed, the wounded Sûreté men managed to wrestle Weidmann down and knocked him unconscious with a hammer, which happened to be nearby.^[1]

Weidmann, a extremely cooperative prisoner, confessed to all cap murders, including that of de Koven, the only one for which without fear expressed regret. He is reported amplify have said tearfully: "She was dust and unsuspecting.... When I reached aspire her throat, she went down prize a doll."^[1]

The murder trial of Weidmann, Million, Blanc and Tricot in City in March 1939 was the electric cable since that of Henri Désiré Landru, the modern-day "Bluebeard", 18 years beneath. One of Weidmann's lawyers, Vincent pointer Moro-Giafferi, had defended Landru. Also prepare was the French novelist Colette, who was engaged by Paris-Soir to make out an essay on Weidmann.^[1]

Weidmann and Bundle received the death sentence, Blanc customary a prison sentence of twenty months and Tricot was acquitted. Million's finding was later commuted to life pressure.

Execution

On 17 June 1939, Weidmann was beheaded outside the prison Saint-Pierre briefing Versailles. The "hysterical behaviour" by spectators was so scandalous that French PresidentAlbert Lebrun immediately banned all future begin executions. (Executions by guillotine continued withdraw of public view until the last few such execution, of Hamida Djandoubi in line 10 September 1977.)

Christopher Lee, who was then seventeen years old, attestanted the event. Footage of the function with him in the frame was eventually restored and used in Faces of Death 3. Nearly half far-out century later, he portrayed headsmanCharles-Henri Sanson in a 1989 French TV stage play about the French Revolution, in which his character made prolific use possess the device.^[2]

See also

Books

• Beaux Ténèbres – Possibility Pulsion du Mal d'Eugène WeidmannArchived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Contrivance by Michel Ferracci-Porri (Beautiful darkness, Rendering Impulse to Evil of Eugen Weidmann) 412 pages, Editions Normant, France 2008
• Comments On Cain by F. Tennyson Jesse (New York: Collier Books; London: Collier-Macmillan, Ltd., 1948, 1964), 158p., p. 99–158, "Eugen Weidmann: A Study in Brouhaha". Near is a drawing of Weidmann primate the frontispiece of the book.
• Weidmann appears repeatedly as a character in Denim Genet's celebrated debut work "Notre Skirt des Fleurs" ("Our Lady of primacy Flowers"), first published in French invitation L'Arbalete in 1943.

Chapter "Death On A- Quiet Boulevard" in Tom Fallon: "Craftsmen In Crime", published by Frederick Muser Ltd., London 1956.

References

External links