Death row inmates can request almost anything for their final meal – but while some of history’s most notorious killers have made unforgettable last requests, one item remains off limits.
While oversized last meal orders often grab headlines, research suggests most condemned prisoners gravitate toward familiar favorites.
A Cornell University study, cited by CBS News, found that before reaching the death chamber, the majority of prisoners wanted a last meal – high in fat, sugar and sodium – that researchers suggest provides comfort during periods of extreme stress.
According to the study – that reviewed 193 final meal requests – more than two-thirds of inmates requested fried foods, with French fries appearing frequently, while desserts were almost as common. Researchers also found prisoners were five times more likely to choose soda than milk.
“In some ways, this might be a way to bring the level of stress and negative excitement down to something that’s something a little bit more manageable,” Lead researcher Brian Wansink said. “You don’t find people going for Neapolitan ice cream or for Chunky Monkey or Chubby Hubby. They go for chocolate; they go for vanilla.”
The most popular choices include:
- Fried chicken, hamburgers and steak
- French fries, mashed potatoes and onion rings
- Ice cream, especially chocolate chip and mint chocolate chip, apple pie and cakes
- Sugary sodas and drinks like Kool-Aid
Those preferences weren’t just reflected in research – they also appeared on the final menus of some of America’s most notorious death row inmates.
Gacy, McVeigh, Bundy and Wuornos
According to CBS News, serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr., known as the “Killer Clown,” gorged on comfort food during a family picnic before his death by lethal injection in 1994. Gacy – who previously managed three KFC restaurants – asked for a bucket of KFC Original Recipe chicken, 12 fried shrimp, French fries and a pound of strawberries.
Not every condemned inmate used the opportunity to order a large meal.
Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, who was sentenced to death for the murders of 168 people, kept things surprisingly simple, choosing two pints of mint chocolate-chip ice cream before he died in 2001 by lethal injection in Indiana at age 33.
Unlike Gacy and McVeigh, Ted Bundy chose not to make a special request.
Rather than requesting something special, the notorious serial killer declined the offer altogether. Prison officials instead served him the standard final meal of steak cooked medium-rare, eggs over easy, hash browns, toast with butter and jelly, milk and juice before his 1989 execution in Florida at age 43.
American serial killer Aileen Wuornos pared things down even more.
Before she was executed in 2002, Wuornos passed on a special meal and asked only for a cup of coffee.
Massive meal untouched
Perhaps no final order proved more consequential than the one placed by Lawrence Russell Brewer, who was convicted of a racially motivated murder in Texas.
In 2011, Brewer requested an enormous spread that included “two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover’s pizza, a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.
But after prison staff prepared the feast, Brewer refused to touch any of it, claiming he wasn’t hungry.
The stunt angered lawmakers, and according to AP, Texas responded by ending its decades-old practice of allowing inmates to choose special last meals.
Some states scrapped tradition
The tradition of granting a final meal isn’t as widespread as many people assume.
Today, only about a dozen states still allow death row inmates to request a special meal before their execution. Even then, the rules vary considerably from one state to another.
Florida, for example, caps final meal requests at $40, while Oklahoma limits inmates to $25. In Louisiana, it’s traditional for the prison warden to join the condemned inmate for their last meal.
Other states have scrapped the tradition altogether, serving standard prison cafeteria food instead of accommodating special requests.
Forbidden item
But regardless of where an inmate is incarcerated, there is one item that almost never makes it onto the menu.
That’s alcohol.
Most prisons classify booze as contraband, meaning it is prohibited inside correctional facilities, even for inmates facing their final hours. Tobacco products are also forbidden in many institutions.
But, that wasn’t always the case.
Back in 1835, convicted murderer Manuel Fernandez was reportedly allowed “a nip of brandy” and several cigars before his execution. Those kinds of luxuries, however, have long disappeared from the tradition.
So, while death row inmates may be able to order everything from fried chicken to mint chocolate-chip ice cream, raising a final toast is one request that is almost always denied.
What are your thoughts on death row prisoners having the opportunity to order one final lavish meal? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can hear from others!
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