Serial Killers Last Meals: What the Most Infamous Killers Had Before Capital Punishment

Serial Killers Last Meals: What the Most Infamous Killers Had Before Capital Punishment

The topic of what death row inmates had as their last meal is quite interesting to true crime enthusiasts and over the past few years, there have been interesting meals that people waiting for the death row have requested. The death penalty as capital punishment varies from one country to another and therefore there are different allowances on what should constitute a last meal and the budget that the said meal should not exceed. In this article, we are going to explore some of the last meals that infamous serial killers that terrorized society ate before being executed.

Steven Micheal Woods Jr.

The serial killer was sentenced to death when a jury found him guilty and convicted him for the murder of a drug dealer and his wife in 2001. He went ahead to appeal his sentence but his motion for a stay of his sentence was denied. He was at one point in prison part of a group that went on a hunger strike opposing the way inmates on death row were being treated. On September 13, 2011, Steven Woods was executed by way of a lethal injection and as his last meal, he had quite a big list of what he wanted to eat. The list included large four-meat pizza, two pounds of bacon, four fried chicken breasts, two pints of ice cream, two hamburgers with bacon, fries, garlic bread with marinara sauce on the side and two drinks of mountain dew, root beer, Pepsi and sweet tea.

John Wayne Gacy

A mugshot of John Wayne Gacy.

The serial killer who was popularly known as the killer clown was a notorious serial killer who during his years when he was active in crime, he sexually assaulted and killed more than 33 young men. He was known for performing as a clown in charity events and also at children’s hospitals. After he was apprehended, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the 33 murders that he was found guilty of. Before being executed he requested a dozen deep-fried shrimp, a bucket of KFC fries and chicken as well as a pound of strawberries. Interestingly, John Wayne Gacy was a manager at KFC before embarking on his crime spree.

Ruth Synder

Ruth Snyder tried severally to murder her violent and controlling husband, Albert and it is said that she attempted to kill him at least seven times. She was successful on March 20, 1927, when she strangled her husband and stuffed his nose with rags soaked in chloroform with the help of the man she was having an affair with. They faked his death to look like it was the result of a break-in, but she was later apprehended and given the death penalty. She requested chicken parmesan with alfredo noodles, ice cream, two milkshakes, and a 12-pack of grape drink as her final meal before being executed by the electric chair.

Aileen Wuornos

A picture of a burger. Mx. Granger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ailleen was one of the most infamous serial killers in the United States. While active in crime, Wuornos killed seven men but he denied having killed them intentionally and claimed that she did it in self-defence while working as a sex worker. Her argument did not stand in court as she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Before her execution, Wuornos was asked if she wanted a special meal which is customary for death row inmates to be given as their last meal. However, Aileen Wuornos declined any special meal and instead got a standard mela that prisoners get which was a burger and she had coffee with it.

Timothy McVeigh

ice cream. Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Timothy was a notorious killer that was responsible for the Oklahoma bombing which happened on April 19, 1995. The bombing left 168 people dead and many others injured which shows that his actions had an irreparable impact on society as many families lost families and friends and the survivors had to live with the trauma and injuries that the bombing caused. He was sentenced to death and as his last meal, Timothy McVeigh requested two pints of ice cream. He was executed by lethal injection in 2001.

Check out this article on the 15 most cruel serial killers in Michigan here

Ted Bundy

A mugshot of Ted Bundy. Florida Department of Corrections, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ted Bundy is one of the most known serial killers that terrorised the United States of America during the 1970s. Bundy is responsible for the death of many girls and women as he would kidnap them and then proceed to rape them before killing them. After being arrested, Bundy pleaded innocent to the crimes but had a change of heart and confessed to killing 30 women. However, it is believed that his victim count could be higher than that. Before being executed by an electric chair in 1989, Bundy was asked if he wanted any special meal and he declined instead he was served a steak dinner, hash browns, eggs, toast, milk, coffee, juice and jelly. However, Bundy declined the meals and thus ate nothing for his last meal.

 Danny Rolling

Also known as the Gainsville Ripper, Danny Rolling was a serial killer who was responsible for the murder of five students n Florida and also confessed to killing three more victims and also sexually assaulting them. He also attempted to kill his father.  After being apprehended he was found guilty for several counts of murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Before his execution, he requested a butterfly shrimp, baked potato, lobster tail, sweet tea and strawberry cheesecake as his last meal. He was executed in 2006.

Check out this article on the 10 infamous cannibal serial killers around the world here

Victor Feguer

A picture of pitted olives. Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The killer who was sentenced to death by hanging after he killed a doctor had one of the weirdest requests for his last meal. Most death row inmates request many things that are pleasing to the eye as their last meal but that was not the case for Victor Feguer. He requested an olive with a pit as his last meal which was quite surprising. After being executed, the pit that was in the olive was found hanging from his trousers.

Thomas Joseph Grasso

Grasso was responsible for the murder of two elderly couple and as a result, he was sentenced to death. Before his execution which took place in March 1995, Grasso requested a lot of things that constituted his last meal, his meal included 24 steamed clams and mussels, six barbeque spare ribs, a Burger King double cheeseburger, pumpkin pie, 2 strawberry milkshakes, ad a can of Spaghetti-O’s with meatballs. When he got his order, he further complained that he had been served spaghetti instead of Spaghetti-O’s which he wanted.

Barton Kirkham Kay

A picture of a pizza. Kirkham had pizza and ice cream as his last meal. Valerio Capello at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

During the robbery of a grocery shop in 1956, Barton Kirkham killed two employees. Before being put to death in 1958, he requested pizza and ice cream from the jail warden because “you get cheese, meat, and everything else in one meal.” Not too much of a fuss.

Check out this article on the 10 infamous serial killers in North Carolina here