Hughes Confused, or Was it All a Ruse?

You’ve heard the expression “a stab in the dark”—meaning to take a wild guess? Well, that phrase applies perfectly to both the crime and the alibi of Preston Hughes, executed by the state of Texas tonight for killing a 3-year-old boy and his 15-year-old female cousin.

The way Hughes described it, he was walking through a vacant field one night when someone came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Hughes turned around, pulled a knife, and “just started sticking” whoever had tapped him, not even noticing that it was a teenage girl. Later on, Hughes changed his story and claimed that the girl walked up and said she wanted to borrow his contact lenses. When Hughes said he didn’t like that idea, the girl became sexually aggressive. Hughes then killed both her and the 3-year-old boy, who was her cousin.

During his trial Hughes went back to his “sticking” story, but claimed he hadn’t killed anybody. When prosecutors accused him of stabbing the two victims, Hughes said “I didn’t stab anybody. Stabbing and stuck is two different things.”

Tonight, Hughes himself was the one who got stuck—by a needle that delivered a lethal injection.

Since Texas no longer allows special last meals, Hughes was served the same food as the other inmates in his unit. His last meal was Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and corn bread.

No Close Shave for Ramon "Razor" Hernandez

Ramon Hernandez, whose nickname on the street was "Razor," was put to death by the state of Texas tonight. Some death row inmates get a last-minute stay, but the Supreme Court refused to review Hernandez's case and an appeal in the state court was rejected as well.

Hernandez was convicted of raping, robbing, and killing a woman in 2003, but he was suspected in at least four more similar crimes. Fortunately for the rest of society, this razor turned out to be disposable.

Because Texas no longer allows inmates to place special orders, Hernandez ate the same food as everyone else in his unit. For his last meal, he was served chicken patties, macaroni and cheese, carrots, corn, beans, and brownies.

Barbaric Brett Has Boutiful Banquet

Brett Hartman was executed by the state of Ohio this morning for a murder he committed in 1997. His female victim was stabbed 138 times, her throat was slit, and her hands were cut off. The hands were never found, by the way. Perhaps Hartman got confused during his attempt to leave no fingerprints at the scene.

Hartman ordered a last meal of steak with sauteed mushrooms, fried shrimp, macaroni and cheese, baked potato with butter and sour cream, Honey-Comb cereal with milk, vanilla ice cream with nuts, and Pepsi and Dr. Pepper to drink.

His last words were "I'm good. Let's roll."

Murderous Mario Munches Mexican Meal

When somebody says, “Hey, that guy’s got potential,” it’s normally a good thing—but not when you’re talking about someone with the potential to become a serial killer.

That’s how a former district attorney described Mario Swain, who was executed tonight by the state of Texas for beating, stabbing, and strangling a woman to death during the course of a robbery in 2002. Before that fatal crime, Swain apparently had the habit of stalking women, hitting them with wrenches, and shooting them with stun guns. If he hadn’t been caught after his first murder, police are convinced that Swain would have killed even more victims in the future.

Since Texas no longer allows inmates to order special last meals, Swain was served the same food as other prisoners in his unit. His last meal included tacos, rice, corn, and mixed beans and greens, with punch, milk, tea, and water to drink. The Mexican-themed menu turned an ordinary lethal injection into a “Fiesta-cution.”

Muchos gracias to the very helpful public information team at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Oklahoma Performs Election Day "Elect-ecution"

Following closely on the heels of last week’s Halloween night “Exe-boo-tion” in Texas, a special Election Day “Elect-ecution” has just been carried out in Oklahoma. Garry Thomas Allen was given a lethal injection there tonight for shooting his fiancé to death in 1986.

Allen has been up for execution several times before, and has always ordered a large meat lover’s pizza and a Pepsi as his last meal. In the spirit of Election Day, some people thought Allen might flip-flop on his last meal choice--but he didn't! It was pizza and Pepsi all the way.

Inmates in Oklahoma must order take-out food for their last meal, with a spending limit of $15.

When asked if he had any last words, Allen rambled incoherently for several minutes—once again keeping the night’s political theme alive—and he even mentioned Barack Obama and Mitt Romney several times. He ended his statement with the words, “What? Huh?” which some say mirrors the confusion of many voters this election season.