The Best Last Meal Requests From Death Row Inmates
VICTOR FEGUER
Victor Freguer was a federal inmate executed in the state of Iowa in 1963. For his last meal, Freguer requested a single olive with the pit still in it. In the early morning of March 15, 1963, Freguer was given a new three-piece suit to wear, and then escorted by two prison guards to the gallows. At dawn, he was hanged. The olive stone from his last meal was found in his suit pocket after he was executed. There have been no executions in Iowa since.
JOHN SPENKELINK
Convicted of murder and armed robbery, John Spenkelink was executed in Starke, Florida in 1979. Known as a heavy drinker prior to his incarceration, Spenkelink requested one flask of Jack Daniels whiskey for his final meal. Prison officials granted his request; he shared the flask with the prison's superintendent. After Spenkelink's execution, the State of Florida's last meal provisions were revised to exclude alcohol.
GERALD LEE MITCHELL
Convicted of murdering two individuals, Gerald Lee Mitchell was executed by lethal injection in Texas in 2001. Prior to his execution, Mitchell made a simple last meal request: one bag of jolly ranchers. His request was granted.
LAWRENCE RUSSELL BREWER
Convicted of hate crimes after dragging a black man to death, Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed by lethal injection in Texas in 2011. For his last meal, Brewer requested chicken steaks, a triple bacon cheese burger, three fajitas, a pizza, fired okra, peanut butter fudge, and a pint of ice cream. Prison officials fulfilled his entire request. But Brewer refused to eat any of it. Thanks to Brewer, the state of Texas banned last meal requests for all death row inmates.
TIMOTHY MCVEIGH
Convicted of murdering 168 people during the Oklahoma City Bombing, Timothy McVeigh was a federal inmate executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Spending only four years on death row-an unusually low amount of time for death row inmates-McVeigh's final meal request was two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
PETER J. MINIEL
Convicted murderer Peter J. Miniel was executed in Texas via lethal injection in 2004. Fearing an empty stomach after death, Miniel's last meal request was like no other death row inmate. He requested 20 beef tacos, 20 beef enchiladas, a jalapeno pizza, two double cheeseburgers, spaghetti with salt, fried chicken, a half chocolate and half vanilla cake, cookies and cream ice cream, caramel pecan fudge ice cream, and fruit cake, six cans of soda, and two glasses of orange juice.