Eighth Time is a Charm for Thomas Arthur

Alabama's Thomas Arthur probably thought he would never be executed. After all, the two-time convicted killer had been on death row for 34 years and had faced execution seven previous times. But in each of those cases, Arthur danced away from the Grim Reaper's grasp at the very last second by winning various appeals.

The Grim Reaper finally caught up with Arthur last night, however, when the man was finally put to death on the eighth try. 

Despite the fanfare involving his execution, Arthur did not order or eat a last meal. "I don't believe in that last meal baloney," he told a reporter. "I never have the appetite. When they're trying to kill you, you're not hungry."

Coincidentally, Last Meal Baloney was the name of a product put out by Oscar Mayer in the 1990s as part of its ill-fated Criminal Cold Cuts line of deli meats. 

Georgia Takes Out the Trash

Convicted killer J.W. Ledford was executed by the state of Georgia last night, and we just have to say it: the J.W. might as well stand for “Just Weird,” because that’s what this guy’s case was.

Ledford was sentenced to death for the murder of his neighbor, Dr. Harry Johnston, who was also the same doctor who delivered Ledford when he was born. On the day of the killing, Ledford asked Johnston for a ride to the grocery store. Johnston agreed, but then changed his mind because he thought Ledford had stolen something from him. Back at Johnston’s house, Ledford apparently took a knife from Johnston and killed the doctor with it, nearly severing the man’s head in the process (according to Ledford’s confession, he “cut the shit out of him.”) Ledford then invaded the house, tied up Johnston’s wife, and stole some guns and money, claiming he needed it to buy drugs.

Ledford, who went by the nickname “Boy” for some odd reason, tried to force the state of Georgia to execute him by firing squad instead of lethal injection, but failed.

Ledford ended his final statement with the words, “You can kiss my white trash ass.”

For his last meal, Ledford asked for a gut-busting dinner of filet mignon wrapped in bacon with pepper Jack cheese, a large order of French fries, 10 chicken tenders with sauce, a fried pork chop, a bloomin’ onion, pecan pie with vanilla ice cream, sherbet, and Sprite.