Death Row inmates most bonkers ultimate meals – from 29,000 calorie feast to single olive

From gut-busting banquets to bizarrely humble snacks, death row inmates in the US have caught the attention for their outrageous and often shocking final meal requests before meeting their fate. Some, like Gary Carl Simmons Jr, nicknamed “The Butcher”, ordered a legendary 29,000 calorie feast fit for a small army, while others, such as Victor Feguer, went out with nothing but a single olive.

Notorious killers like John Wayne Gacy and Timothy McVeigh also had their own peculiar picks, ranging from KFC buckets to pints of mint choc chip ice cream. Meanwhile, one condemned man’s wish for pizza sparked a city-wide act of kindness for the homeless.

These last suppers reveal everything from dark humour to final acts of compassion, shining a strange light on one of the US’ most macabre practices. The Daily Star takes a look at the most bonker last meals.

Pizza for a notorious killer

Gary Carl Simmons Jr’s final meal is believed to be the most indulgent last meal ever recorded in US history, going out with a food coma. Simmons, fittingly nicknamed “The Butcher” due to his brutal methods and his former profession, received the ultimate punishment from a US court.

The killer devoured almost 30,000 calories, almost 1100% more than what the NHS recommends men consume in a day, the Daily Star previously reported. Simmons is said to have started off by scoffing a Pizza Hut medium Super Supreme Deep Dish pizza, double portion, with mushrooms, onions, jalapeño peppers, and pepperoni.

This was followed up by another pizza, regular portion, with three cheeses, olives, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and Italian sausage. For his add ons, Simmons requested 10 8-oz. packs of Parmesan cheese, 10 8-oz. packs of ranch dressing, one family size pack of Doritos nacho cheese flavour, 8-oz. jalapeño nacho cheese, and 4-oz. sliced jalapeños.

To top it off, he also asked for a super-size order of McDonald’s fries with extra ketchup and mayonnaise, and two pints of strawberry ice cream. For his drinks, The Butcher asked for two large strawberry shakes and two 20-oz. cherry Cokes.

The Department of Corrections said he was about halfway through the meal 90 minutes before his execution and had got his teeth into everything except the fries, but was still shoving food down.

Milkshakes and mussels before capital punishment

Thomas Grasso enjoyed a final meal of milkshakes, burgers and pie – alongside 48 seafood items – before criticising the meal with his last words. Grasso was sentenced to death for the murder of 87-year-old Hilda Johnson in Oklahoma, where capital punishment was permitted at the time.

Grasso, 35, was executed by lethal injection on March 20, 1995 – but not before he was given a rather elaborate dinner to see him off. The last meal consisted of two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams with a lemon wedge, a double cheeseburger from Burger King, half a dozen barbecued spare ribs, half a pumpkin pie, spaghetti, two strawberry milkshakes, and diced strawberries.

This wasn’t enough to satisfy Grasso, who would use his last words to criticise the kitchen staff for subbing one of his requests for another food. Less than an hour before he died, Grasso said he wanted “the press to know this” and issued a statement regarding the meal mix-up, the Daily Star previously reported.

As part of his request, the murderer had asked for SpaghettiOs with meatballs. He did not receive the meatballs and released a statement shortly before his death.

He said: “I did not get my SpaghettiOs, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.”

Generous vegetarian last meal donation

Philip Workman, 53, was put to death in the early hours of Wednesday, May 9, 2007. His last wish?

A vegetarian pizza donated to any homeless person near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. However, Death Row prison officials refused, citing a policy against donating to charities.

But that didn’t stop others from stepping in… As news of Workman’s request spread, people across Nashville took it upon themselves to honour his final wish.

Homeless shelters in the city were flooded with donated pizzas throughout the Wednesday, the Daily Star previously reported.

Oatmeal and sports drinks

Hours before his execution for the 2005 killing of Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Carl DeWayne Graham Jr., convicted murderer Lance Shockley was served his final meal. Corrections officials said Shockley, 43, requested items from the canteen including: peanut butter, three packs of oatmeal, water and two sports drinks, the Daily Star previously reported.

Post-exorcism cheeseburger

Blaine Milam, 35 tortured his fiancée’s baby daughter to death during an “exorcism”. He was given a lethal injection after being sentenced to death for the murder of 13-month-old Amora Carson in East Texas in 2008.

Milam’s final meal before his last moments was a big one, which included a cheeseburger, oven-fried potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, sliced bread, scrambled eggs, country gravy, a sausage patty, pears, biscuits, tea and water.

KFC and strawberries for the killer clown

John Wayne Gacy, the notorious “killer clown” raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men. Gacy was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Centre on May 10, 1994.

His last meal was a feast consisting of 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of original recipe KFC, french fries, and a pound of strawberries, the Daily Star previously reported.

Cereals for the man who “deserved to die”

Jeffrey Allen Barney was convicted of the 1981 rape and murder of Ruby Mae Longsworth in her Texas home while her husband was out attending a ministers’ convention. He acknowledged his guilt and was heard to say he “deserved to die” before being administered a lethal injection in 1986.

His final meal consisted of typical breakfast food: a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal and milk.

Steaks for the racist

Lawrence Russell Brewer chained James Byrd Jr to the back of a car and dragged him to his death in a racially-motivated murder. Brewer requested an immense last meal.

This included two chicken fried steaks and sliced onions in gravy; a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger; one cheese omelette with minced beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños; a large bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecued meat and half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas; a Pizza Hut Meat Lovers pizza; a pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream; peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts on top, and three root beers.

When the food was delivered to his cell, Brewer told prison wardens he wasn’t hungry.

One olive

Victor Feguer’s seemingly random murder of a doctor he found through the Yellow Pages saw him sentenced to death by hanging in 1963. For his last meal, Feguer requested a single olive with its stone still inside.

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