Ion Pistol (1 December 1946 – 12 May 1987) was the last person put to death in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

(then the

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian People ...

) prior to the execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. He was tried for murder on 9 April 1986, before a 500-person auditorium. His lawyer, Liviu Ardeiaș, claimed that sentencing him to death would result "not in execution, but in murder". The same day, the Teleorman County tribunal handed down a death sentence. On 4 May 1987, Ceaușescu rejected his plea for clemency. Eight days later, he was executed by shooting at a prison in the

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

area. According to Pistol's penal file, he was born in the commune of

Trivalea-Moșteni Trivalea-Moșteni is a commune in Teleorman County, Muntenia, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, ...

, where he was living at the time of his arrest, and had a fourth-grade education. The report indicates he killed his mother Gheorgița with multiple axe blows on the night of 30–31 October 1985 and was arrested on 1 November 1985. He was taken to the prison of Jilava prior to his execution and asked for an onion omelette for his

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States In the United States, most states gi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pistol, Ion 1946 births 1987 deaths People from Teleorman County Matricides Romanian people convicted of murder People executed by the Socialist Republic of Romania People executed by Romania by firing squad People executed for murder People convicted of murder by Romania Executed Romanian people

See also

References