Lore of the last meal: Inside the captivating culinary ritual before vicious killers face death

[mystery-ak]

November 4, 2022 12:00pm EDT
Lore of the last meal: Inside the captivating culinary ritual before vicious killers face death
Last meals requested by condemned inmates across the country have ranged from epic portions to a single plate with barely any food as part of an ongoing ritual that proceeds the execution

By Louis Casiano | Fox News

The last meal for condemned prison inmates has become a thing of lore over the years as details about their gruesome crimes and culinary preferences in their final hours have garnered widespread media attention.

Inmates on death row in prison systems across the country have included some of the most vicious and vile murderers whose crimes have shocked and sickened the public.

John Wayne Gacy, the famed serial killer who murdered 33 boys and men in the 70s, ordered a feast for his last day alive. Just before his 1994 execution inside an Illinois prison, Gacy had a bucket of KFC fried chicken, 12 fried shrimp, french fries and a pound of strawberries among other items.

Florida inmate Danny Rolling, known as the Gainesville Ripper, enjoyed lobster tail, butterfly shrimp, a baked potato, sweet tea and strawberry cheesecake before his 2006 death by lethal injection, according to local reports.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Victor Feguer, the last man executed by the federal government years before Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, kidnapped and killed an Iowa doctor who refused to give him drugs. When he was hanged in 1963, all he asked for his last meal was an olive with the pit still inside.

McVeigh had two pints of mint and chocolate chip ice cream before his 2001 lethal injection death.

All four men were part of an ongoing tradition where inmates slated to die at the hands of the state are given the option of one last meal of their choice before going to the afterlife. Over the years, the meals have ranged from epic portions to a single vegetable in some cases.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/lore-last-meal-inside-captivating-culinary-ritual-vicious-killers-face-death

   

[mountaineer]

... Deborah Denno, a professor at Fordham University School of Law in New York City, said the death penalty and last meal intertwine religion and retribution.

"I don't think it's a stretch to compare the last meal to the Last Supper or it having some kind of religious element because it is a ritual," she told Fox News Digital. "It is kind of a final goodbye." ...

Actually, that's a heck of a stretch.

The last supper of Jesus Christ was a celebration of the Passover, which Jesus used to explain to the disciples the symbolism of the bread and wine for his body and blood, respectively, which would be sacrificed to save them from their sin.

[berdie]

This ritual was recently done away with in Texas. The condemned eat the same food gen pop eats.

As most things, the "last meal" ritual was abused. They were ordering huge spreads, largely left uneaten.

[GtHawk]

Actually, that's a heck of a stretch.

The last supper of Jesus Christ was a celebration of the Passover, which Jesus used to explain to the disciples the symbolism of the bread and wine for his body and blood, respectively, which would be sacrificed to save them from their sin.

Willing to bet you'll find ole Debbie is an atheist and has no clue about Christianity or what it's rituals actually are about. Atheists love to tell believers what their religion really means...as if Christians didn't know it in their hearts.

I'm not sure it's accurate to called a condemned prisoners last meal a culinary ritual either that's kind of blowing out of proportion something I think started simply as allowing even the most despicable a courtesy recognizing they would never have another ...anything. Did this professor bother to research when, where and why the last meal for the condemned changed giving them a choice of whatever they wanted if possible, or did they just have a pre conception to twist it around a Christianbelief?