Loss of appetite has suddenly become an epidemic among America's death row denizens; for the second time today, an inmate refused to order a special last meal before his execution. This time the non-peckish felon was John Ruthell Henry, executed by the state of Florida for killing two of his wives and also a child.
Henry obviously didn't know what he was missing; as our readers know, Florida serves up one of the tastiest--and most generous--last meals in the whole country. Steak, lobster, and other succulent dishes can all be ordered with impunity. But instead of a meal, Henry just had a cocktail; midazolam, vecuronium bromide, and potassium chloride, to be exact.
Convicted killer John Winfield, who earned his death sentence for a double murder back in 1996, lost more than his life today when he was executed by the state of Missouri; he also lost his last chance in 18 years to eat a decent meal. In other words, it was a lose-lose situation for Winfield.
Missouri offers one of the better last meal experiences in our nation's penal system; just this year, Missouri inmates have ordered steak, barbecued ribs, apple pie, chocolate cake, and other tasty items prior to their executions. But John Winfield said "thanks but no thanks" to the offer, ordering nothing at all.
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.
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| Clayton Lockett |
It was to be a historic night; the state of Oklahoma would execute two men in the same evening, something that rarely happens in modern times. Clayton Lockett would go first, with Charles Warner following two hours later. The only problem was, the state was using a controversial new trio of drugs for its lethal injections.
Trouble began when Lockett was given his deadly dose of the drugs. They didn't seem to be working properly, so prison officials tried to halt the execution midway. Lockett ended up dying anyway--supposedly from complications of the execution procedure--so the execution was considered a failure because Lockett died, although that's the whole reason he was strapped to the lethal injection table in the first place. Because of the complications, Warner was given a stay and was not executed.
The other bit of irony is the fact that Warner, who was not executed, ordered and was given a last meal while Lockett, who WAS executed, did not enjoy the last meal ritual. Lockett did try, but was told that his order of steak, shrimp, baked potato, garlic toast, a whole pecan pie, and a bottle of Coke went way, way over the state's $15 spending limit. Upset by this, Lockett decided to pass on the last meal altogether.
Warner, on the other hand, ordered an approved last meal of boneless chicken wings, potato wedges, cole slaw, fruit cocktail, and Coke. He was given his last meal and ate it despite the fact that his execution was later cancelled.
The crimes committed by Robert Hendrix were so wild and unfathomable that he must have been in a purple haze at the time. Hendrix killed both his cousin and his cousin's wife because he feared his cousin would testify against him during a burglary trial. The cousin was shot in the head, had his throat cut, and was then beaten with the gun so many times that the trigger broke off. The cousin's wife was also shot in the head, stabbed more than 30 times, and had her throat cut as well.
Hendrix was executed tonight by the state of Florida for his crimes. For his last meal, Hendrix took advantage of Florida's generous last meal policy and ordered pork chops, biscuits with sausage gravy, and Mountain Dew. But instead of pie, which ranks as a favorite death row dessert, Hendrix rounded out his meal with German chocolate cake.
It's rare to see a man put to death for stealing cattle these days, but William Rousan was executed by the state of Missouri this morning for just that. Of course, he did kill a few people at the same time, too.
Rousan, along with his son and his brother, murdered a married couple who lived on a farm and then stole two cows, a VCR, some jewelry, a saddle, and other items.
Rousan's obvious fondness for good beef followed him all the way to the grave. For his last meal, Rousan asked for a bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, and a slice of pecan pie.
