You might think America’s most infamous criminals would request extravagant final meals, but some wanted their last meals to be something completely ordinary.
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy didn’t bother choosing anything for his final meal, even though he was well within his rights to. The serial killer was given the standard death-row breakfast instead, which included a medium-rare steak, hash browns, eggs, toast, juice, jelly, butter, milk, and coffee.
He didn’t touch any of it, though, and died on an empty stomach. Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair on January 24, 1989, after being convicted of murdering 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.
John Wayne Gacy
Serial killer John Wayne Gacy’s final meal choice might seem weird, but there was a reason behind it. He’d managed Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Iowa long before he went to jail. So, it was quite fitting that he ordered a bucket of original-recipe KFC chicken for his last meal.
He also added 12 fried shrimp and French fries to his order, along with a pound of strawberries and a Diet Coke. Gacy was convicted of murdering 33 boys and young men. He was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois on May 10, 1994.
Timothy McVeigh
You don’t stop having a sweet tooth even on death row, apparently. Just look at the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, for example, he asked for two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream for his last meal. Nothing else, just ice cream.
He had carried out the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, on June 11, 2001, only a few months before 9/11.
Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos had a few parts to her final meal. She shared some KFC with her friend a few days before she was executed, and on the day of her execution, she had a hamburger. But the final thing she consumed before being executed was a cup of coffee.
That’s it, just a cup of coffee. Wuornos was allowed to request a meal costing up to $20, but she turned it down and asked for a single cup of joe. She was convicted of killing men she met while working along Florida highways, and she was executed at Florida State Prison on October 9, 2002.
Lawrence Russell Brewer
Lawrence Russell Brewer’s final meal had an important effect on the last-meal program in Texas, although not in the way you might expect. He had been part of the murder of James Byrd Jr., and Baker was sentenced to death row. He made a special request for his last meal.
He asked for two chicken-fried steaks with gravy, fried okra, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, a meat-lover’s pizza, three fajitas, a pound of barbecue, a pint of ice cream, and peanut butter fudge topped with crushed peanuts. Yes, really, all of that, but he didn’t eat a single bite because he said he wasn’t hungry. The state ended its special last-meal program shortly after.
Ricky Ray Rector
The weirdest part of cop killer Ricky Ray Rector’s final meal had nothing to do with the food itself. He’d ordered steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and pecan pie. It was a pretty standard meal, really. No, the weirdest part came from the comments he made while eating it.
Rector ate most of the food but left the pie. He allegedly told prison officers that he was saving it for later, despite the fact that it was his final meal and he was soon going to be executed. He was killed by lethal injection in Arkansas on January 24, 1992, and officers kept his untouched slice of pie until after the execution. How strange.
Ronnie Lee Gardner
Most people eat their final meal the day of their execution, but not Ronnie Lee Gardner. He actually had his three days earlier because he began a 48-hour religious fast before being executed. His order included steak, lobster tail, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and 7-Up.
He was then executed by firing squad on June 18, 2010. Gardner was convicted of killing attorney Michael Burdell during a 1985 courthouse escape attempt. Lobster and 7-Up sure is a strange pairing, but honestly, on death row, anything goes.
William Bonin
You’d think that two pizzas would’ve been enough on their own, but no, not for William Bonin. He kept going with his final meal, and he added three pints of coffee ice cream, as well as three full six-packs of Coca-Cola. He asked for the pizzas to be topped with pepperoni and sausage.
Bonin was also known as the ‘Freeway Killer’ and had been convicted of murdering boys and young men in Southern California. He was executed by lethal injection on February 23, 1996, at San Quentin State Prison, California. There’s no evidence of how much Coke he actually finished.
Gary Ray Bowles
Gary Ray Bowles, also known as the I-95 Killer, was convicted of murdering six men and sentenced to death for killing Walter Hinton in 1994. As you might guess, all of his murders happened around Interstate 95. He asked for three cheeseburgers, french fries, and bacon for his last meal. No drink, though.
He was executed by lethal injection on August 22, 2019, at the Florida State Prison near Raiford. There had been final appeals right up to his execution, and they actually caused it to be delayed for several hours.
Teresa Lewis
There was no mistaking that murderer Teresa Lewis was from the South. Her final meal, after all, included two fried chicken breasts, sweet peas with butter, Dr Pepper, and apple pie. There were reports that she received German chocolate cake, too, although it was later confirmed to be apple pie.
She had previously arranged the 2002 shootings of her husband, Julian Lewis Jr., and her stepson, Charles Lewis. She was executed in Virginia on September 23, 2010, and was the first woman executed by the state since 1912.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
High-profile criminal cases from the past 80 years in America
Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Zodiac Killer — do these dreadful names creep you out?
Even though they have been convicted — or escaped — these criminals have found a way to live on in U.S. society, as their tales are told again and again in books, films and through the rising interest in true crime. In this article, we’ll share with you 10 of the worst offenders of the last 80 years and their legacy.
High-profile criminal cases from the past 80 years in America
