Christian Ranucci

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Christian Ranucci (April 6, 1954 Avignon – July 28, 1976 Marseille) 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 July 16. President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing refused his pardon for Ranucci only ten days after the case's arrival to his office, much quicker than the usual clemency process.

He was executed by guillotine 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 Robert Badinter, 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 abducter, 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.