Even Sylvain Maréchal, the anarchist editor of the republican newspaper Révolutions de Paris, admitted that the evidence against Favras was insufficient. However, an armed attempt to free him by some Royalists on 26 January, which was thwarted by La Fayette, aroused the suspicion of the Parisians, and on 18 February 1790, in spite of a notable defense plea, Favras was sentenced to be hanged

Wow, had there not been an attempt to rescue him, he might not have been hanged