Marcel Chevalier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcel Chevalier (born 28 February 1921) was the last executioner (Monsieur de Paris) in France. He succeeded André Obrecht in 1976 and held his position until 1981, when capital punishment was abolished under president François Mitterrand and justice minister Robert Badinter. The method of application of death penalty for civil capital offences in France 1791-1981 was beheading with the guillotine. Military executions were by firing squad.
Chevalier, who started his executioners' career in 1958, attended at about forty executions. After his nomination of chief executioner, on October 1, 1976, he only executed two men. They were the last two executions in France:
- Jerôme Carrein, condemned twice for the murder and rape of a 7 year-old girl, was guillotined on June 23, 1977, in Douai.
- Hamida Djandoubi was guillotined in Marseilles on September 10, 1977, for having horribly tortured and strangled his former girlfriend.
Chevalier worked as a printer prior to his retirement. He is married to Marcelle Obrecht, the niece of penultimate chief executioner of France André Obrecht. They have two children, one of which, Eric was present at Carrein's and Djandoubi's executions in order to prepare him for succession to chief executioner upon his father's eventual retirement.
Marcel Chevalier has been interviewed by the press on a number of occasions but due to their sensationalist reporting, now chooses to say nothing of his experiences with the guillotine.
