September 10, 1977
Marseille, France
Hamida Djandoubi becomes the last person executed by guillotine and the last person to be executed in Western Europe
Djandoubi was convicted of the murder of a 21-year-old woman who had filed a complaint stating Djandoubi has tried to force her into prostitution. On July 3, 1974, he kidnapped the woman, brought her to a location with two women he had successfully convinced to work for him as prostitutes, beat and tortured the woman in front of the other women (including stubbing a lit cigarette on her breasts and genitals), then drove her to a remote location to strangle her. Her body was discovered 4 days later.
