Florence Lassandro
Florence Lassandro | |
|---|---|
Executed | |
| Spouse |
Carlo Sanfidele (m. 1915) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Florence Lassandro (Italian:
Early life
Lassandro was born in
Picariello was an entrepreneur based in Blairmore, Alberta. He was engaged in many legal businesses including manufacturing ice cream and operating the Alberta Hotel in Blairmore; however this became a front for his bootlegging activity. Charlie Lassandro was one of Picariello's employees, and permitted Lassandro to work with Picariello to smuggle alcohol from British Columbia to Alberta and Montana.
Murder and hanging
Picariello's son became involved in a police chase on September 21, 1922, during which he was shot in the hand by Constable Stephen O. Lawson of the Alberta Provincial Police. Picariello had assumed that his son had been killed when he heard a rumour that he had been shot and went to confront Lawson.[3] In Coleman, Picariello and Lassandro confronted Constable Lawson, who was fatally shot in front of his home by the pair.[4]
Both Picariello and Lassandro were arrested the following day, and were convicted for Lawson's murder; however, the trial was a questionable affair of who actually shot Lawson. Nevertheless, both were sentenced to hanging on December 2, 1922; they unsuccessfully sought clemency from the courts, the Justice Minister, and the Prime Minister.[5] Originally scheduled to hang on February 21, 1923,[6] Lassandro and Picariello were hanged on the gallows of Fort Saskatchewan penitentiary on May 2, 1923, with Lassandro's last words being "I forgive everybody."[7][4][5] Picariello was popular in Alberta, and public opinion was on the side of Picariello and Lassandro on the day of their executions with many feeling that the death sentences handed down by the court to be excessively harsh in view of the mitigating circumstances.[8] The executions of Picariello and Lassandro are credited with helping to turn public opinion against Prohibition in Alberta.[9]
On February 1, 2003, Canadian composer
References
- ISBN 9781926936260.
- ^ Auger & Edwards 183
- ^ Auger & Edwards 183
- ^ a b "The day Emilio Picariello and Florence Losandro gunned down Const. Stephen Lawson". calgarysun.com. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b "The only woman hanged in Alberta". www.edmontonjournal.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
- ^ "Who was Filumena?". Alberta Scene. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ Auger & Edwards 184
- ^ Auger & Edwards 184
Further reading
- Chandler, Ann (2004). "The lady the bootlegger: was Filumena Losandro, the last woman in Canada ever hanged for murder, an innocent caught up in tragic circumstances? Or did she really fire the shot that killed an Alberta policeman?". Gale A118376396.
External links
- Filumena Opera Website
- Alberta Scene Website Archived 2006-02-07 at the Wayback Machine