Serial Killers’ Last Meals: Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and More
What would you eat as a final meal if you had to choose? This question remains unanswered in the minds of many, including serial killers. After all, food preferences can reveal much about a person.
Many states in the US allow death row prisoners to choose their final meals. Though some states may have restrictions, such as total cost and availability of food items locally, these prisoners can request anything of their choosing.
Read on to find out what these notorious serial killers had for their last meals. Some were over-the-top, like the crimes they committed, and others were surprisingly simple.
10 Serial Killers’ Last Meals
When delving into history’s darkest moments, a subject sure to capture the reader’s attention is serial killers. As notorious as they are for some of their abhorrent acts, sometimes one of the most interesting aspects about death row inmates who have committed such horrific crimes is taking a peek into their final meals before execution.
From first-class feasts to much more bizarre requests, these 10 serial killers’ last meals might surprise you in terms of their peculiar food requests.
Victor Feguer: A Single Olive
Feguer was the last person to face the death penalty in Iowa. In 1960, he was convicted of murder after kidnapping and murdering a doctor, Edward Bartel, who he had never previously met. Victor Feguer shot the doctor in a cornfield in Illinois.
For his final meal, Feguer requested a single olive that still had the pit in it. He believed the pit would sprout an olive tree from his grave, symbolizing peace.
Karla Faye Tucker: Salad and Fruit
Karla Faye Tucker was a devout Christian married to a preacher. In 1998, she was charged with 2 counts of murder and sentenced to die by the state of Texas for killing two men with a pickaxe.
You might think her last meal would be as bizarre as her horrific crimes, but she requested a simple peach, a banana, and a garden salad with ranch dressing. Maybe she was a bit concerned for her health right before her execution.
Timothy McVeigh: Ice Cream
Ex-soldier and security guard Timothy McVeigh was the American terrorist responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 that killed 168 people and injured many more after he set off a truck bomb underneath a federal building, damaging over 300 surrounding buildings.
McVeigh is known to have committed the worst act of domestic terrorism in US history, for which he showed no remorse. Timothy McVeigh was to be executed by lethal injection and requested 2 pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream for his last meal.
Adolf Eichmann: Wine
Adolf Eichmann was a senior-ranking Nazi officer and a key architect of the Holocaust, involving him in the death of millions of people. He was hung in 1962 in Israel. For his final meal, he requested a bottle of Carmel – an Israeli red wine – which he drank half of.
Delbert Teague Junior: Cheeseburger
At his murder trial, prosecutors described Delbert Teague Jr. as a “one-man slaughterhouse” due to his extreme violent acts after he killed Kevin Allen in 1985. Teague outright refused a last meal until his mother came and told him off. He then requested a cheeseburger out of spite at the last minute.
David Edwin Mason: Water
Mason was convicted for killing four elderly persons in Oakland between March and December 1980 and was sentenced to death by gas chamber. He also killed his cellmate while awaiting his death sentence.
David Mason spent his final day visiting with family members. Afterward, police officers escorted him to the death watch cell, where he requested only a glass of iced water as a last meal.
Aileen Wuornos: Coffee
Wuornos was charged with 6 counts of murder between 1989 and 1990. Posing as a prostitute, she killed young men and abandoned their bodies along highways in Georgia and Florida. The police arrester her in 1991 and confessed to the killings but claimed it was self-defense.
She was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to death, after which she admitted that she didn’t kill the men in self-defense. In protest of the abusive prison treatment, Wuornos refused to eat the last meal, requesting a cup of coffee instead.
Ruth Snyder: Pasta
After trying seven times to murder her physically and emotionally abusive husband, Albert, Snyder succeeded in 1927. She initially staged his death as part of a burglary. However, she was later caught and given the death penalty by an electric chair.
Her final meal was alfredo pasta with chicken parmesan, a 12-pack grape soda, 2 milkshakes, and ice cream.
John Wayne Gacy: Fried Food
A former KFC manager, John Wayne Gacy, was responsible for the assault and murder of at least 33 young men and boys. Popularly called the Killer Clown, he was a regular act at charity events and children’s hospitals. Gacy allegedly killed and buried his victims under his house near Norridge, Illinois.
For his last meal, Gacy requested a dozen fried shrimp, a bucket of KFC chicken with French fries, and a pound of strawberries before his death by lethal injection.
Ted Bundy: The Works
Ted Bundy is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. He kidnapped, raped, and killed many young women and girls in the 1970s. Though he eventually confessed to the murder of 30 young women and girls, his actual victim count is unknown.
Bundy refused a last meal before his execution in 1989 by an electric chair. However, he had the standard last meal in the Florida State Prison — medium-rare steak, toast with butter and jam, eggs, hash browns, juice, and coffee. He didn’t take a single bite.
Conclusion
Most people won’t know what they’ll have as their last meal. However, death row inmates can choose their last meals as part of a final request before execution. While some prefer to have the last taste of their favorite meals, others opt for something simple or nothing at all.
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