. Eichmann's main defense was that he was only following orders, the same claim made by Nazi war criminals during the Nuremburg Trials 15 years earlier. 100 eyewitnesses to his crimes took the stand for the prosecution, 90 of whom were concentration camp survivors. The testimony took 14 weeks.
On December 15, 1961, Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death. He appealed his verdict using the argument that his capture was illegal under international law and that Israeli criminal statutes had no jurisdiction in his case. His appeal was rejected as was his petition for mercy to the President of Israel. The President responded to his petition by quoting the book of Samuel: "As your sword bereaved women, so will your mother be bereaved among women."
Eichmann was hanged on June 1, 1962. To this day, this remains the only civilian execution ever conducted in Israel. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea so that no single nation would serve as his resting place.