The Bizarre Last Meals of Death Row Convicts

Most Americans will never come near an execution chamber or know anyone sentenced to death. Despite this disconnect (or perhaps because of it) audiences are fascinated by the last days of condemned criminals, including the tradition of the last meal.

The “last meal” of a criminal on death row has connotations of opulence and indulgence, and occasionally, this turns out to be true. However, there’s a lot more to the tradition than meets the eye, as the last meals of some of America’s most notorious killers can attest.

A Quick Note on Last Meals in America

Most states with the death penalty have rules around last meals, and they usually differ. In Florida, an inmate’s last meal cannot cost more than $40 and must be food that can be acquired locally. Oklahoma, by contrast, has a $15 limit and the food requested must be approved by the warden. In 2011, Texas ended all requests for special last meals after murderer Lawrence Russell Brewer requested an elaborate meal including two chicken fried steaks, a cheese omelet, a pound of barbecue meat, a meat lovers pizza, a pint of ice cream, and more, and didn’t eat any of it. Those sentenced to death in Texas eat whatever is already being served in the cafeteria as their last meal.

Famous Last Meals

Robert Dale Conklin
- State: Georgia
- Year of Execution: 2005
- Crime: The murder of his live-in boyfriend, George Crooks, while on parole for armed robbery and burglary.
- Last Meal: Conklin requested one of the most lavish last meals in American history, including filet mignon wrapped in bacon, shrimp in garlic butter, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, French bread with butter, and an apple pie with ice cream. Surprisingly, his request was granted.

John Wayne Gacy
- State: Illinois
- Year of Execution: 1994
- Crime: The murder of 33 boys and young men in the 1970s.
- Last Meal: 12 fried shrimp, KFC® Original Recipe Fried Chicken bucket, and one pound of strawberries.

Ted Bundy
- State: Florida
- Year of Execution: 1989
- Crime: Convicted in Florida for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old, also convicted of the murder of two sorority sisters at Florida State University; confessed to 28 murders, may be responsible for hundreds more.
- Last Meal: Bundy made no special requests for his last meal. He was served a customary last meal of medium-rare steak, eggs over easy, hash browns, butter toast with jelly, milk, and juice. He did not eat it.

Aileen Carol Wuornos
- State: Florida
- Year of Execution: 2002
- Crime: The murder of seven men.
- Last Meal: Wuornos declined a last meal and was instead served one cup of coffee.

Timothy McVeigh
- State: Indiana
- Year of Execution: 2001
- Crime: The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, killing 168 people.
- Last Meal: Two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ricky Ray Rector
- State: Arkansas
- Year of Execution: 1992
- Crime: The murder of three men he shot outside a dance hall, one of whom died from his injuries; he also shot and killed the police officer (who he knew personally) who attempted to arrest him.
- Last Meal: Steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid®, and a pecan pie. Rector did not eat the pecan pie, as he stated he was “saving it for later.”

Last Thoughts

Jon Sheldon, a Virginia death penalty lawyer speaking to the BBC, shed some light onto this ritual: “I don’t know anybody who has eaten the last meal. In my experience, it is unlikely that someone is going to be hungry and is going to want a meal. It’s either not ordered, or it’s ordered, and then not eaten.”

When staring down at your own mortality, food is probably the last thing on your mind.

References: What are the rules regarding a death row inmates last meal? | Last meal: What’s the point of this death row ritual? | 22 Meals To Die For: Death Row Last Meals And Our Fascination With Them | From Last Meals to Last Words, What Can Death Row Prisoners Request Before They Die? | Famous Last Meals: What Notorious Criminals Ate Before They Were Executed | Last meals of death row inmates | 10 Last Meals of Death Row Inmates | Robert Dale Conklin | John Wayne Gacy | Ted Bundy | Ted Bundy | Timothy McVeigh | Rickey Ray Rector, The Death Row Inmate Who Lobotomized Himself