Christian Ranucci
Encyclopedia
Christian Ranucci was one of the last people executed in France
, having been convicted of the abduction and murder of a young girl, Marie-Dolorès Rambla.
He was tried in Aix-en-Provence
in Southern France on March 9-March 10, 1976 and sentenced to death. His appeal for a second trial was overturned by a higher court on June 16. President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
refused his pardon for Ranucci only ten days after the case's arrival to his office.
He was executed by guillotining
at Baumettes prison
in Marseilles by André Obrecht
. In his last words to his lawyers, who were witnessing the execution, he said "Rehabilitate me".
There has been some controversy regarding Ranucci's guilt. A book by Gilles Perrault
, entitled Le Pull-over rouge, disputed his involvement in the crime. The title of the book refers to an article of clothing, a red sweater, found near the victim's body similar to that worn by the abductor, who drove a car that did not belong to Ranucci, if the witnesses to the abduction identified the vehicle correctly. The sweater was not Ranucci's. The book became a film
by Michel Drach
in 1979.
In 2005, new claims were made that Michel Fourniret
, a serial killer, had something to do with this case and could have been the real murderer, and in 2006 Perrault reiterated the same suggestion in Le Parisien
-Aujourd'hui en France
.
Capital punishment in France
Capital punishment was practiced in France from the Middle Ages until 1977, when the last execution took place by guillotine, being the only legal method since the French Revolution. The last person to be executed in France was Hamida Djandoubi, who was put to death in September 1977. The death...
, having been convicted of the abduction and murder of a young girl, Marie-Dolorès Rambla.
He was tried in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
in Southern France on March 9-March 10, 1976 and sentenced to death. His appeal for a second trial was overturned by a higher court on June 16. President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
refused his pardon for Ranucci only ten days after the case's arrival to his office.
He was executed by guillotining
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
at Baumettes prison
Baumettes Prison
Baumettes prison is a prison in the 9th arrondissement of Marseille. The prison is named after the district of Les Baumettes where it was constructed between 1933 and 1939...
in Marseilles by André Obrecht
André Obrecht
André Obrecht was the official executioner of France from 1951 until 1976.Born in Paris on August 9, 1899, Obrecht was the nephew of the chief executioner Anatole Deibler. He learned of his uncle's job at ten, when a series of postcards depicting an execution were published in September 1909...
. In his last words to his lawyers, who were witnessing the execution, he said "Rehabilitate me".
There has been some controversy regarding Ranucci's guilt. A book by Gilles Perrault
Gilles Perrault
Gilles Perrault is a left-wing French writer and journalist.He attended the Collège Stanislas de Paris and then studied at the Institut d'études politiques, eventually becoming a lawyer, a profession he worked in for five years....
, entitled Le Pull-over rouge, disputed his involvement in the crime. The title of the book refers to an article of clothing, a red sweater, found near the victim's body similar to that worn by the abductor, who drove a car that did not belong to Ranucci, if the witnesses to the abduction identified the vehicle correctly. The sweater was not Ranucci's. The book became a film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by Michel Drach
Michel Drach
Michel Drach was a French film director, writer, producer and actor. His fims include Le Passé simple , which he directed and scripted.-Selected filmography:...
in 1979.
In 2005, new claims were made that Michel Fourniret
Michel Fourniret
Michel Fourniret is a convicted French serial killer who confessed, in June and July 2004, to kidnapping, raping and murdering 9 girls in a span of 14 years during the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. He was also accused of 10 additional murders, nine in France and one in Belgium, and was found...
, a serial killer, had something to do with this case and could have been the real murderer, and in 2006 Perrault reiterated the same suggestion in Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
-Aujourd'hui en France
.