(Bad) Luck of the Irish

Some people might say it's a no-brainer to execute a man who killed a cop. But attorneys for Cecil Clayton, who landed on Missouri's death row for doing just that, tried to save their client's life by claiming that Clayton himself was a no-brainer.

To clarify, Clayton's attorneys attempted a last-minute appeal to the US Supreme Court based on the fact that a small portion of Clayton's brain had to be removed following an accident at a sawmill in 1972 which sent a chunk of wood into Clayton's noggin. They claimed that accident played a key role in Clayton's murder of a sheriff's deputy decades later, in 1996. But the appeal was denied, and Clayton was executed by the state of Missouri on St. Patrick's Day.

Instead of a traditional Irish feast for his last meal, Cecil Clayton requested fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and cola.

Death and Taxes and Texas

As Benjamin Franklin said, nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes. And in Texas, the two sometimes go hand in hand.

Convicted killer Manuel Vasquez was executed by the state of Texas tonight for a murder that took place in 1998. Vasquez, who was working as a hit man for the Mexican Mafia at the time, beat and strangled a female drug dealer who refused to pay taxes to a local gang.

Because Texas no longer allows special last meal requests, Vasquez was given the same food as others in his unit. For his last meal, Vasquez was served Pepper Steak, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, carrots, ranch style beans, sliced bread, and apple glazed cake, with a choice of water, tea, or punch to drink.