Jacques Fesch (1930-1957)

Jacques Fesch was the murderer of a French police officer, who became such a devout Roman Catholic while in prison awaiting execution that he has been proposed for canonization as a saint. The son of a wealthy banker, Jacques Fesch was an idler and abandoned religion as a teen. A playboy, he left his wife and their daughter, and fathered a child with another woman. He wanted to sail the Pacific, but his parents refused to pay for a boat. On 24 February 1954, he went to rob a money changer. In the process he shot and killed a police officer but was arrested. The public was strongly in favor of his execution, and the court condemned him to death. After a year in prison, he experienced a profound mystical conversion, became very pious, and bitterly regretted his crime. He accepted his punishment serenely and was reconciled to his wife. He kept a spiritual journal, the last entry of which was, “In five hours, I will see Jesus!”After his death his wife and daughter honoured his memory as an example of redemption. At first he was excoriated by the public, but his published journal and correspondence inspired many readers. In 1987, Cardinal Jean Marie Lustigier took the controversial step of launching an inquiry with a view toward Fesch’s canonization.

(From Wikipedia)