The tradition of offering a condemned prisoner a special last meal is one of the most peculiar rituals in the modern justice system. While some inmates decline the offer entirely, others use the opportunity to request enormous feasts, specific fast food combinations, or highly symbolic solitary items. A documented last meal often provides a strange look into a person’s final moments, contrasting the grim reality of their situation with deeply ordinary food choices.
These recorded requests belonged to some of the most notorious convicted killers in American history, from mass murderers to criminals whose trials commanded national media attention. Looking closely at these specific food choices reveals how differently individuals approached their final hours, whether they ordered thousands of calories of junk food, requested an impossibly rare combination of items, or simply asked for a cup of coffee.
1. John Wayne Gacy ordered fried shrimp, KFC, fries, and a pound of strawberries
Convicted of murdering 33 boys and young men, John Wayne Gacy requested a heavy fast food spread before his 1994 execution. His final request included fried shrimp, a bucket of KFC Original Recipe chicken, French fries, and a full pound of strawberries. Gacy had actually managed three KFC restaurants earlier in his life, making the specific chicken order an unusually personal detail.
2. Aileen Wuornos wanted nothing more than coffee
Aileen Wuornos was convicted of killing seven men in Florida, but her final meal was among the simplest ever recorded. Before her 2002 execution, she declined the traditional large dinner and requested only a single cup of coffee. This extremely minimal choice stands in sharp contrast to the massive buffets often ordered by other death row inmates.
3. Marion Albert Pruett ordered four Whoppers and a stuffed crust pizza
Serial killer Marion Albert Pruett heavily prioritized volume before his 1999 execution. He requested a Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza, four Burger King Whoppers, French fries, fried eggplant, fried squash, fried okra, an entire pecan pie, and three two-liter bottles of Pepsi. The sheer quantity of food makes this one of the most extravagant fast food combinations documented in prison records.
4. Ricky Ray Rector tried to save his dessert for later
Arkansas executed Ricky Ray Rector in 1992 following his conviction for two murders. His requested dinner consisted of steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and pecan pie. After finishing the main courses, Rector set his pie aside and informed the guards that he wanted to save it for later, a detail that became the most widely repeated story surrounding his execution.
5. Timothy McVeigh chose two pints of ice cream
Timothy McVeigh carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, making him one of the most infamous domestic terrorists in American history. Before his 2001 federal execution, his last meal was remarkably simple. He requested exactly two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and this choice remains one of the most widely remembered final requests in the modern justice system.
Trending on The Scroller
6. William Bonin asked for two pizzas and 18 cans of Coca-Cola
Known as the “Freeway Killer,” William George Bonin was executed in California in 1996 for murdering teenage boys. His final dinner consisted of two large pepperoni and sausage pizzas, three pints of coffee ice cream, and three six-packs of regular Coca-Cola. According to California corrections records, Bonin was the first inmate in the state executed by lethal injection.
7. Joseph Mitchel Parsons went all-in on Burger King
Joseph Mitchell Parsons was executed in Utah in 1999 for the murder of Richard Lynn Ernest. He asked for three Burger King Whoppers, two large fries, a chocolate shake, chocolate chip ice cream, and a pack of grape Hubba Bubba bubble gum. This intensely specific combination of burgers, ice cream, and childhood candy remains a highly unusual final request.
8. Robert Dale Conklin ordered a restaurant-style dinner
Rather than fast food, Robert Dale Conklin requested a spread that looked like it came directly from an upscale steakhouse. Before his 2005 execution in Texas, he ordered a bacon-wrapped filet mignon, shrimp sautéed in garlic butter with lemon, a baked potato, corn on the cob, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, French bread, goat cheese, cantaloupe, apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream, and iced tea.
Sign up for our newsletter
9. Ronnie Lee Gardner ate steak and lobster before a 48-hour fast
Utah inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner requested steak, lobster tail, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and a 7-Up before his 2010 execution by firing squad. What made the situation highly unusual was his decision to undergo a 48-hour fast immediately after eating the food. He claimed the fast held spiritual significance and spent his remaining days watching The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
10. Robert Alton Harris ordered a 21-piece bucket of KFC
Executed in California in 1992 for killing two teenagers, Robert Alton Harris requested a massive amount of food. His order included a 21-piece bucket of KFC, two large pizzas specifically without anchovies, Pepsi, jelly beans, ice cream, and cigarettes. Contemporary reporting noted that Harris ate the food enthusiastically while last-minute legal battles continued over his execution.
11. Gary Carlo Simmons Jr. requested a meal estimated at 29,000 calories
Gary Carl Simmons Jr. ordered an astonishing amount of food before his 2012 execution in Mississippi. He asked for two heavily customized Pizza Hut pizzas, Parmesan cheese, ranch dressing, jalapeño cheese, jalapeños, Cherry Coke, strawberry shakes, strawberry ice cream, and a family-sized bag of Doritos. Corrections officials estimated the entire spread contained roughly 29,000 calories.
12. Thomas J. Grasso wanted seafood, Burger King, ribs, and spaghetti
The 1995 final meal of Thomas J. Grasso combined a bizarre variety of entirely unrelated foods. He asked for two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams, a Burger King double cheeseburger, barbecued spare ribs, two strawberry milkshakes, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and strawberries, and a can of SpaghettiOs with meatballs. Grasso notably used his final statement to complain that the prison kitchen had served him regular spaghetti instead of the SpaghettiOs he specifically requested.
13. Lawrence Russel Brewer ordered an enormous feast, then ate none of it
Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in 2011 for the murder of James Byrd Jr., and his last meal literally changed the prison system. He ordered chicken fried steaks, a triple meat bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet, fried okra, barbecue, fajitas, a meat lover’s pizza, root beer, ice cream, and peanut butter fudge. After the food arrived, Brewer refused to eat any of it, prompting Texas to immediately abolish the tradition of allowing death row inmates to choose special final meals.
14. Dennis Bagwell ordered almost everything on the menu
Convicted of murdering four members of a Texas family, Dennis Bagwell requested another massive spread before his 2005 execution. He ordered steak, fried chicken, barbecue ribs, fries, onion rings, bacon, a dozen scrambled eggs with onions, fried tater tots, tomatoes, a salad, two fully loaded hamburgers, peach pie, milk, coffee, and sweetened iced tea. The sheer volume of the request stands as one of the largest in state history.
15. Danny Rolling chose lobster and strawberry cheesecake
Danny Rolling was executed in Florida in 2006 after being convicted of murdering five college students in Gainesville. His final dinner consisted of a lobster tail, butterflied shrimp, a baked potato, strawberry cheesecake, and sweet tea. This combination was considerably more elaborate and traditional than the eccentric requests made by many other notorious criminals.
16. Gary Gilmore ate only part of his final meal
Gary Gilmore is known as the first person executed in the United States after the modern death penalty was reinstated. Dying by firing squad in Utah in 1977, his requested meal included steak, potatoes, milk, and coffee. He reportedly consumed only the milk and coffee. His case became a massive national story and eventually formed the basis for Norman Mailer’s book The Executioner’s Song.
17. Ronald Clark O’Bryan had a full steak dinner
Dubbed the “Candyman,” Ronald Clark O’Bryan was executed in Texas in 1984 for murdering his young son. His last meal was a highly traditional American dinner consisting of a medium-to-well-done T-bone steak, fries, corn, peas, a salad, iced tea, saltines, rolls, and a Boston cream pie. His case gained intense national notoriety because he had also distributed the poisoned candy to other children, though fortunately no one else consumed it.
18. Victor Feguer asked for a single olive
Before his 1963 federal execution by hanging, Victor Feguer made perhaps the most minimalist food request ever recorded. He asked for a single olive with the pit still inside. The pit was reportedly discovered in his suit pocket after the execution. His death was historically significant for another reason, as he was the last federal prisoner executed in the United States for the next 38 years.
Explore more interesting facts about famous criminals:
The striking thing about these records is how differently condemned prisoners approached the exact same final ritual. While some individuals ordered enormous fast food feasts, others wanted little more than a cup of coffee or a single solitary olive. If you want to know more about some of America’s most famous criminals, be sure to check out these 20 of the Wildest Bounties Put out for Criminals in the 1980s-1990s or these 15 Wild Disguises Criminals Actually Tried to Use (1920s–1980s). You may also like these 20 Infamous Tales About Early-2000s Criminals.
