Eerie death row meal requests - from dirt and one olive to tin of spaghetti

The question "What would your decease enactment repast be?" serves arsenic a fashionable taxable for meal enactment tiny talk, and adjacent immoderate podcasts. But it's grounded successful a grim tradition.

In countries which inactive uphold the decease penalty, death enactment prisoners awaiting execution are allowed to petition a last meal. While not mandatory, this petition is often honoured successful the United States, with details of last meals documented successful nationalist records related to executions.

This gives inmates 1 small enactment of autonomy their lives starring to immoderate antithetic choices and marque their people connected history. In astir states, inmates connected decease enactment get to prime immoderate they want—within reason— for their past meal, but successful Texas, determination is nary peculiar past repast due to the fact that 1 inmate successful 1998 overordered - prompting section officials to reason it was a discarded of money.

Recently, a database of bizarre decease enactment repast requests has resurfaced online. The post, shared connected the "Depths of Wikipedia" Instagram page, which shares obscure entries from Wikipedia, highlighted immoderate of these unusual inmate requests from inmates.

Here, the Mirror looks astatine the astir strangest decease enactment repast requests successful history.

Lawrence Russell Brewer

Lawrence Russell Brewer, from Texas, was executed by lethal injection successful 2011 for the 1998 execution of James Byrd.

According to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Brewer ordered a feast of nutrient for his last meal.

This consisted of 2 chicken-fried steaks smothered successful gravy with sliced onions, a triple nutrient bacon cheeseburger with each the fixings connected the side, a food omelette filled with crushed beef, tomatoes, onions, doorbell peppers, and jalapeños, and a ample vessel of fried okra with ketchup.

He besides ordered 1 lb of barbecue wings with fractional a loaf of achromatic bread, 3 fajitas with toppings, a Meat Lovers pizza, 3 basal beers, 1 pint of Blue Bell vanilla crystal cream, and a slab of peanut food fudge with crushed peanuts.

Despite the extended repast being prepared for him, Brewer refused to devour it erstwhile it arrived, stating that helium was simply "not hungry." This incidental led the authorities of Texas to halt granting past repast requests to condemned inmates. Senator John Whitmire expressed his concerns successful a missive to the enforcement manager of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, arguing that it was inappropriate to assistance specified privileges to a idiosyncratic sentenced to death.

Odell Barnes Jr

In 2000, Texas slayer Odell Barnes Jr. was sentenced to decease by lethal injection for the 1989 execution of Helen Bass.

Bass, who was 42 years aged astatine the time, was beaten, stabbed, and changeable successful her ain home. There were besides indications that she whitethorn person been raped.

Barnes Jr. was convicted based connected forensic grounds and witnesser grounds that placed him astatine the transgression scene, including traces of his semen. His apparel besides had 2 patches of Helen's blood.

However, superior questions were raised regarding his condemnation aft helium was represented by 2 section attorneys, arsenic the Wichita County Public Defender's bureau was considered unequipped to grip the case.

Anti-death punishment advocates began to run against his conviction, gaining planetary media coverage.

Despite this international attention, Barnes was executed connected March 1, 2000. For his last meal, helium requested "justice, equality, and world peace," but this petition was denied arsenic it was not really a repast - truthful helium ate nothing.

Robert Anthony Buell

Robert Anthony Buell from Ohio was executed successful 2002 by lethal injection for the 1982 execution of 11-year-old Krista Lea Harrison.

In 2010, Eight years aft his death, helium was linked to the execution of 12-year-old Tina Marie Harmon successful 1981 done caller DNA evidence.

In the hours starring up to his execution, Buell listened to classical euphony connected the radio, ate bran flakes, and drank a solid of milk. For his last meal, helium requested a azygous black, unpitted olive. This antithetic petition has been made by respective prisoners connected decease enactment successful assorted U.S. states, arsenic they anticipation that olive trees volition turn from their graves arsenic a awesome of peace.

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein was an Iraqi dictator who served arsenic the 5th president of Iraq from 1979 until his overthrow successful 2003. In 2006, helium was convicted by the Iraqi High Tribunal of crimes against humanity for his relation successful the 1982 Dujail massacre, which resulted successful the deaths of implicit 140 Shia Muslims. He was sentenced to decease by hanging.

According to The Times, helium refused offers for a past repast that included chickenhearted and shawarma rice, arsenic good arsenic cigarettes. However, different sources assertion that Hussein did devour his past repast of chickenhearted and atom and had a cupful of blistery h2o with honey.

Velma Barfield

Dubbed the Death Row Granny, Velma Barfield, from North Carolina, was the archetypal pistillate successful the United States to beryllium executed aft the 1976 resumption of superior punishment.

Barfield was an American serial slayer who was convicted of sidesplitting her fiancé but yet confessed to six murders successful total. She poisoned respective members of her household including her mother, Lillian Bullard, by arsenic poisoning.

She was convicted of the first-degree execution of Stuart Taylor successful December 1978 and sentenced to death. However, she was the lone pistillate decease enactment inmate successful North Carolina, and determination was nary designated country for female decease enactment prisoners to beryllium held. So, she was imprisoned astatine Central Prison successful Raleigh, NC, successful an country for escape-prone prisoners and those with intelligence illness.

She became the archetypal pistillate successful the state to beryllium enactment to decease by lethal injection successful 1984 .

The time of her execution astatine Raleigh's Central Prison, Barfield apologised for 'all the wounded I person caused'.

According to The Washington Post and The New York Times, she requested a last repast of Coca-Cola and food puffs crisps.

Philip Ray Workman

Philip Ray Workman was a decease enactment inmate who was convicted successful 1982 for the execution of constabulary serviceman Lt. Ronald Oliver during a robbery astatine a Wendy's edifice successful Memphis. He was sentenced to decease by lethal injection and executed successful Tennessee connected May 9, 2007.

For his last meal, Workman, who was stateless and struggling with a cocaine addiction astatine the time, requested that a vegetarian pizza beryllium donated to a stateless idiosyncratic adjacent the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Although officials denied his request, quality of his last privation spread, prompting locals to travel unneurotic successful an effort to fulfill it.

They donated hundreds of pizzas passim Nashville. Additionally, a pistillate named Donna Spangler organized her friends to rise implicit $1,000 (£783) to acquisition adjacent much pizzas. "Philip Workman was trying to bash a bully deed, and nary 1 would assistance him," Spangler said.

In effect to Workman's request, Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, besides took enactment by ordering 15 vegetarian pizzas to beryllium sent to the Rescue Mission.

James Edward Smith

In April 1990, James Edward Smith was executed by lethal injection for execution astatine the property of 37. Smith fatally changeable security enforcement Larry D. Rohus during a robbery wrong a second-floor cashier's bureau adjacent the Astrodome connected March 7, 1983.

During assemblage enactment for his proceedings successful Texas, Smith attempted to flight by fleeing from the courthouse. He managed to tally lone a fewer blocks earlier helium was captured and returned to custody. After being recovered blameworthy of murder, helium was sentenced to death, but his entreaty was upheld by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals successful 1987.

For his last meal, Smith initially requested a lump of rhaeakunda dirt, which was believed to beryllium utilized successful voodoo rituals that helium thought mightiness assistance him successful reincarnation.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice denied his request, truthful alternatively helium settled for a cupful of yogurt.

Smith's execution was primitively scheduled for 1988, but it was postponed erstwhile lawyers filed for a enactment of execution. Ultimately, helium was executed successful 1990.

John Albert Taylor

In 1996, John Albert Taylor became America’s archetypal inmate successful 19 years to beryllium executed by firing squad.

Taylor, 36, was enactment to decease astatine Utah State Prison, the lone authorities that allows condemned prisoners a prime betwixt lethal injection and firing squad. Taylor chose the firing squad due to the fact that helium believed it would beryllium costly and embarrassing for the state, and helium feared that helium mightiness "flip astir similar a food retired of water" if helium received an injection.

He besides hoped that this method of execution would enactment his assertion that his decease would magnitude to state-sanctioned murder. Taylor was convicted of raping 11-year-old Charla Nicole King and strangling her with a telephone cord successful 1989.

During his sentencing, his sister, Laura Galli, testified that helium had raped her 3 times erstwhile she was 12 years old. She had besides tipped disconnected the constabulary that helium mightiness person murdered the child.

For his past meal, Taylor ordered an antacid medicine, a cigarette, and a ample Ambassador pizza with a bladed crust topped with onions, mushrooms, blistery peppers, sausage, pepperoni, ham, and other cheese.

Ricky Ray Rector

Ricky Ray Rector was an American murderer who was executed for the 1981 execution of constabulary serviceman Bob Martin successful Conway, Arkansas.

After sidesplitting Martin successful a edifice and fleeing, Rector spent 3 days connected the tally earlier helium agreed to crook himself in.

After shooting Bob Martin, Rector attempted to instrumentality his ain beingness by shooting himself successful the head.

The slug coiled and country to region the slug from his caput resulted successful a frontal lobotomy (the nonaccomplishment of a three-inch conception of his brain), leaving him mentally impaired.

In 1996 Rector was executed by lethal injection, nevertheless Rector seemed incapable of knowing his pending decease sentence.

He near the pecan pastry helium requested for his past repast connected the broadside of the tray, telling the guards who came to instrumentality him to the execution enclosure that helium was redeeming it 'for later'.

Harry Charles Moore

Harry Charles Moore was an American convicted murderer who was executed successful Oregon for the killings of his in-laws, Thomas Lauri and Barbara Cunningham successful 1992.

Moore stated that helium killed the mates due to the fact that helium believed they would determination to Las Vegas with his estranged woman and babe daughter, and exposure them to a beingness of drugs and prostitution.

He was the 2nd idiosyncratic executed by the authorities of Oregon since 1978, and helium remains the state's astir caller execution.

For his decease enactment meal, Moore, 57, requested 2 greenish apples, 2 reddish apples, a tray of caller fruit, and 2 two-litre bottles of Coca-Cola.

Mathias Kneißl

In the aboriginal 1900s, Mathias Kneißl was a German outlaw, and poacher.

From the Dachau territory of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Kneißl was charged with 2 murders, attempted murder, equipped robbery, and extortion. The tribunal sentenced him to decease for the execution charges and to 15 years successful situation for the different offenses.

In 1902, helium was sentenced to decapitation by guillotine. For his past meal, helium requested six glasses of beer.

Thomas J Grasso

Thomas J Grasso admitted murdering 2 aged people. His archetypal unfortunate was 85-year-old Hilda Johnson successful 1990, who helium strangled with Christmas histrion lights, and successful 1991 helium killed Leslie Holtz, an 81-year-old antheral from whom helium stole his societal information cheque.

Grasso requested an extravagant past meal: 2 twelve steamed mussels, 2 twelve steamed clams, a Burger King treble cheeseburger, six barbecued spare ribs, 2 ample milkshakes, arsenic good arsenic a tin of SpaghettiOs with meatballs, fractional a pumpkin pastry and strawberries and cream.

The magnitude oregon complexity of his database seemed to confuse situation room unit arsenic helium didn't get each helium asked for.

His past words were: "I did not get my SpaghettiOs, I got spaghetti. I privation the property to cognize this."

Ronnie Lee Gardner

Ronnie Lee Gardner was sentenced to decease for the 1985 execution of lawyer Michael Burdell, which occurred during an attempted flight from a Salt Lake City courthouse.

At the clip of the murder, Gardner was successful tribunal facing charges for the sidesplitting of Melvyn John Otterstrom during a robbery astatine a barroom successful 1984.

After spending a 4th of a period connected decease row, Gardner, who was 49 years old, became the archetypal antheral to beryllium executed by firing squad successful Utah successful 14 years successful 2010. He remains the astir caller idiosyncratic to beryllium executed utilizing this method.

For his past meal, Gardner chose steak, lobster tail, pome pie, vanilla crystal cream, and 7-Up. Following this, helium began a 48-hour accelerated portion watching The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

George W Barrett

George W. Barrett, known arsenic "The Diamond King" and "Bad George," was an American car thief and convicted murderer from Kentucky.

In 1936, helium became the archetypal idiosyncratic sentenced to decease by hanging successful Lockport, Indiana. Barrett killed FBI Agent Nelson B. Klein successful a shootout connected August 14, 1935.

During the altercation, Klein managed to sprout back, hitting Barrett successful the legs and crippling him. For his last meal, Barrett requested "the largest steak successful town," which was granted to him. However, erstwhile mealtime arrived, helium did not devour it.

After his execution, a newsman who was contiguous spotted the uneaten steak successful the jailhouse room and decided to assistance himself to it.