Just after Petiot was strapped to the bascule of the guillotine in the Sante Prison on May 25, 1946, Petiot smiled at the witnesses and said "gentlemen, I ask you not to look. This will not be very pretty!" Seconds later, the heavy mouton and blade of the guillotine thundered down, instantly decapitating Petiot. Witnesses later said that Petiot was smiling when his scheming head was sliced off.