No Yellin' for Felon Wellons

Some inmates swear, complain, and throw a big fit just before their execution, but not Marcus Wellons. The Georgia inmate convicted of rape and murder back in 1993 went to his execution calmly last night, asking for forgiveness prior to his lethal injection. The execution itself went smoothly too, despite a series of recent legal snags.

The first came in 2010, when the US Supreme Court ordered a special hearing to discuss Wellons' case. The reason? They had learned that during the trial back in 1993, one of the jurors presented the judge with a chocolate penis as a gift. The court eventually ruled that although this was a "tasteless" act, it played no part in the conviction of Wellons.

Another snag came last night, as Wellons' lawyers tried for a last-minute appeal based on the fact that Georgia had not disclosed the name of the company that manufactures the drugs now used in their lethal injections--which, from a common sense standpoint, is like demanding to know the license plate number of the truck that's about to plow into you. The appeal failed, however, and Wellons was put to death shortly before midnight.

Wellons did not choose a special last meal, so he was given the same food as everyone else in his unit: shepherd's pie, mashed potatoes, red beans, cabbage relish salad, corn bread, sugar cookies, and fruit punch.