No Meal or Monologue for Melson

A big thank-you to sharp-eyed fans of the blog who pointed out our omission of the execution of Robert Melson, which took place in Alabama last week. Due to a flurry of last-minute stays and appeals, this one came in under our radar.

Melson received his death sentence for his part in a triple murder that took place in 1994. Melson and an accomplice robbed a Popeye's fast food restaurant and shot four of its employees, killing three of them. The two men netted just over $2,000 in the robbery.

Melson's execution was relatively uneventful, and from the perspective of a blog that chronicles last meals and last words, it was also lacking in interesting trivia. One can always hope that an inmate's last meal or final statement will be evocative, or unusual, or somehow related to the killer's past history or the crime itself. For instance, John Wayne Gacy ordered Kentucky Fried Chicken as part of his last meal, which was ironic because the famous serial killer who dressed like a clown was also a former KFC employee. In that same vein, Melson could have ordered Popeye's chicken for his last meal. He also might have requested a heaping helping of spinach for his final dinner, than announced "I yam what I yam and that's all that I am," as he lay strapped to the execution table. Unfortunately, though, ironies such as these apparently weren't on Melson's mind during his final hours, as he requested no last meal and spoke no final words.