The Last Meal of a Death Row Prisoner

It is said that every condemned person deserves a last meal when they are on Death Row, ready to walk the last mile. But, if your next meal was to be your last, what would you eat? 

Maybe you'd go all posh and ask for caviar, champagne and a fine cigar? Perhaps you'd push the chef to his/her limits and opt for a odd little din-dins like a deep-fried panda snout? 

Oddly, when given the choice, most death row inmates don't. 

With the vast majority of Death Row inmates coming from impoverished families, they are more likely to ask for comfort food, a simple home-cooked request which brings back fond memories from their childhood, of a time when life was good and memories were fond. They include: 

#1 - Aileen Wuornos - prostitute and serial killer of seven men in "self defence", executed in 2001, and her last request was "a simple cup of black coffee".
#2 - Allen Lee Davis - robbery and three counts of murder, executed in 1999, ask for "lobster tail, fried potatoes, 1/2lb of shrimp, 6oz fried clams, 1/2 loaf of garlic bread and 1ltr of root beer". 
#3 - Angel Nieves Diaz - murder, kidnapping and armed robbery, executed in 2006, declined a last meal, was served a standard prison meal, but declined that too.
#4 - Gerald Lee Mitchell - robbery, drug-dealing and murder, executed in 2001, his last meal was a bag of Jolly Rancher (hard, fruit-flavoured, boiled sweets).
#5 - John Wayne Gacy - serial murderer and killer clown, executed 1994, ordered "12 deep-fried shrimp, a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken's original recipe chicken (he used to run a KFC), with French fries and a pound of strawberries". 
#6 - Karla Faye Tucker - double murder, executed in 1998, asked for "a garden salad with Ranch style dressing, a banana and a peach". 
#7 - Mark Dean Schwab - kidnapping, sexual assault and murder, executed in 2008, had a plate of "bacon, sausage, fried eggs, hash browns, with buttered toast and chocolate milk". 
#8 - Ricky Ray Rector - double murder, executed in 1992, asked for "steak, fried chicken, a cherry Kool-Aid and a pecan pie" but he did not eat the pie as he was "saving it for later". 
#9 - Ronnie Threadgill - murder, executed in 2013, requested "baked chicken, mashed potato, country gravy, vegetables, sweet peas, bread, tea, water and punch". But because Texas abolished Death Row inmates getting a choice of last meal in 2011, he was given the same meal as every other inmates. (Why was this abolished? Find out at the end) 
#10 - Stephen Anderson - burglary, assault, prison escape and 7 counts of murder, ate "2 grilled cheese sandwiches, 1 pint of cottage cheese, pecan pie, chocolate chip ice cream and radishes"
#11 - Ted Bundy - serial-killer, executed in 1989, declined a final meal so was given a standard final meal of medium rare steak, over-easy eggs, hash browns, toast, milk, coffee, juice and a bowl of jelly, none of which he ate. 
#12 - Teresa Lewis - double murder and conspiracy, executed in 2010, ate "two fried chicken breasts, buttered beans, chocolate cake and a can of Dr Pepper" (because as the slogan says "what's the worst that can happen?")
#13 - Timothy McVeigh - "The Oklahoma Bomber", executed in 2001, asked and ate "two tubs of chocolate & mint ice-cream"
#14 - Velma Barfield - murder, died in 1984, her last meal was "a bag of Cheez Doodles and a can of Coca-Cola". 
#15 - Victor Feguer - kidnapping and murder, executed in 1963, as his final meal he asked for "a single olive with the pit still in it". 
#16 - Gary Heinik - double murder, executed in 1999, his last meal was "two slices of cheese pizza, and two cups of coffee" for himself. 
#17 - Ronnie Lee Gardner - two counts of murder, executed by firing squad in 2010 (yes, 2010), asked for "a lobster tail, a steak, and an apple pie with vanilla ice cream, to be eaten while watching The Lord of The Rings trilogy".

Other, slightly unusual "last meal" requests include:

• In 1990, James Edward Smith asked for "a lump of dirt", but this request was declined, so he opted for a cup of yogurt instead. 
• in 2007, Phillip Workman declined a "final meal", but asked that a large vegetarian pizza be donated to a hungry homeless person in Nashville, this was declined by the prison, but many people across the County carried out Workman's request
• in 1995, Thomas J Grasso ordered "24 steamed mussels, 24 steamed clams, a double Burger King cheeseburger, 6 BBQ spare ribs, 2 strawberry milkshakes, 1/2 pumpkin pie with cream and strawberries, and a can of spaghetti with meatballs, all to be served at room temperature". Grasso used his last words to publicly complain about his last meal. He said, “I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s; I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this”. 
• And in 2011, Lawrence Russell Brewer demanded the following as his final meal: "2 chicken fried steaks with onion and gravy, a triple meat bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelette with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapeños, fried okra with ketchup, 1lb of barbecued meats with 1/2 a loaf of white bread, 3 fajitas, a Meat Lovers pizza, 3 root beers; 1 pint of vanilla ice cream; and a slab of peanut butter fudge", which was granted. But when the meal arrived he refused to eat it, which prompted Texas State Prison to stop granting last meals to condemned prisoners... including Ronnie Threadgill. 

No plans this weekend? Book yourself onto Murder Mile Walks, rated FIVE STARS by Time Out

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If you "enjoyed" this blog post, take a peek at other intreguing topics such as; Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Life, Death & Whole Life Sentences, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, KIllers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Birthdays / Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals

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Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.