12 of America’s Most Notorious Criminals, and Their Last Meals

A prisoner’s last meal has become one of the strangest traditions associated with capital punishment. The requests often seem ordinary, yet they take on a chilling significance when paired with the crimes that led to an execution. Not to mention, the fact that they were in fact executed.

Beyond what exactly they ordered, these final meals have become enduring pieces of true crime history, offering one last glimpse into the lives of some of America’s most notorious executed criminals. Here are just some infamous offenders and the final meals they requested before their executions.

Ted Bundy

Convicted serial killer Ted Bundy declined to choose a special last meal before his 1989 execution in Florida. He was served the standard prison dinner: steak, eggs, hash browns, toast with butter and jelly, milk, coffee, and juice.

Timothy McVeigh

The Oklahoma City bomber requested two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream before his 2001 federal execution. The remarkably simple dessert contrasted sharply with the horrific bombing that killed 168 people in 1995.

John Wayne Gacy

Serial killer John Wayne Gacy requested a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, a dozen fried shrimp, French fries, and fresh strawberries before his 1994 execution. He had previously managed KFC restaurants during his life.

Aileen Wuornos

Convicted of murdering seven men in Florida, Aileen Wuornos skipped a traditional final meal before her 2002 execution. Instead, she asked only for a single cup of black coffee.

Gary Gilmore

Gary Gilmore, whose execution in 1977 helped reinstate capital punishment in the United States, requested a hamburger, baked potato, hard-boiled eggs, coffee, and whiskey. Prison rules prohibited alcohol, so he received coffee instead.

Karla Faye Tucker

Karla Faye Tucker, executed in Texas in 1998, requested a banana, a peach, and garden salad with ranch dressing. She ultimately changed her mind and declined the meal altogether before her execution.

Ricky Ray Rector

After killing a police officer, Ricky Ray Rector requested steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and pecan pie. He famously left the pie untouched, reportedly saying he was saving it for later.

Lawrence Russell Brewer

Lawrence Russell Brewer ordered an enormous feast that included chicken-fried steaks, a triple bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, barbecue, pizza, ice cream, and peanut butter fudge. He refused to eat any of it, prompting Texas to end its special last meal tradition.

Ronald Gene Simmons

Mass murderer Ronald Gene Simmons declined a special final meal before his 1990 execution in Arkansas. Instead, he ate the standard prison dinner served to every inmate on death row that evening.

Kenneth McDuff

Texas serial killer Kenneth McDuff requested a hearty final meal consisting of steak, French fries, salad, rolls, and ice cream before his execution in 1998 for multiple murders spanning several decades.

Velma Barfield

Velma Barfield, the first woman executed in the United States after the death penalty was reinstated, requested a modest meal of Cheez Doodles and a can of Coca-Cola before her 1984 execution.

Victor Feguer

Victor Feguer, the last federal prisoner executed before a 38-year hiatus in federal executions, requested a single olive with its pit still inside. He reportedly hoped an olive tree would grow from his grave.