1. Ted Bundy – Standard Prison Plate
There’s something haunting about the ritual of a last meal. Some people chose extravagance, others simplicity, and a few refused altogether. Ted Bundy, one of America’s most infamous criminals, declined to request anything special. By default, he was served the Florida death row standard: steak cooked medium rare, eggs, toast with butter and jam, hash browns, milk, and juice. Reports said he didn’t touch a single bite, sitting in silence instead. His refusal carried more weight than any order could have. It was almost as if the act of not choosing reflected the cold detachment that marked his life.
2. John Wayne Gacy – Fried Feast
John Wayne Gacy, remembered for crimes that horrified the nation, leaned into indulgence with his last meal. He asked for a bucket of original recipe KFC, which was fitting since he once managed several franchises. Alongside that came 12 fried shrimp, French fries, fresh strawberries, and a Diet Coke. Witnesses recalled he ate heartily, seemingly enjoying every bite. The choice felt almost like a nod to his past, a strange echo of normal life. While unsettling, it showed how even in the darkest circumstances, people often reach for comfort foods that remind them of familiar and easier times.
3. Timothy McVeigh – Ice Cream Only
Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, kept things strikingly simple when his turn came. His final meal request consisted of just two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. No lavish spread or symbolic choice, just something cold and sweet. Observers found it odd that someone responsible for such destruction would end on such a light and childlike note. Maybe it was his favorite flavor, or maybe it was a small comfort in an uncomfortable moment. Either way, his order stood out for its quietness, a reminder that sometimes simplicity carries its own unsettling weight in such situations.
4. Aileen Wuornos – Coffee Alone
Aileen Wuornos, one of the few women to be executed in modern America, surprised no one with her blunt final choice. She turned down a special meal altogether and instead requested only a single cup of black coffee. That was it, plain and stripped of ceremony. Those who saw her said she drank it calmly, as if it were part of her morning routine. The simple bitterness of coffee seemed to mirror her personality, unsoftened and direct. Of all the last meal stories, hers feels eerily ordinary, almost like a detail anyone could connect with in daily life.
5. Velma Barfield – Cheez Doodles Snack
Velma Barfield, the first woman executed after the death penalty was reinstated, chose a snack rather than a meal. Her request was a bag of Cheez Doodles with a can of Coca-Cola on the side. The choice was simple, almost casual, more like something eaten on a lazy afternoon. Guards remembered it as oddly normal, like she wasn’t treating it as a final moment at all. That bag of cheese puffs and soda offered a glimpse of human comfort in an otherwise sterile and heavy setting. It was a small act of familiarity that spoke volumes about simplicity.
6. Gary Gilmore – Burger and Whiskey
Gary Gilmore, the first man executed after the death penalty returned, took his last meal seriously. He asked for a hamburger, hard boiled eggs, a baked potato, and coffee. But what made headlines was his additional request for three shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, which officials surprisingly allowed. Those watching remembered him raising the glass with composure, almost like a toast to the end. His meal felt less about food and more about control. Just as his final words were direct, so too was his order, blending everyday simplicity with one last mark of bold defiance.
7. Ricky Ray Rector – Pie Left Behind
Ricky Ray Rector’s last meal told a story all its own. He ordered steak, fried chicken, cherry Kool Aid, and pecan pie. But it was the pie that stood out, because he didn’t touch it. Instead, he told guards he would eat it later, not fully grasping there would be no later. That detail, though small, became a haunting symbol of his impaired mental state. The untouched slice carried more weight than the rest of the meal combined. It’s remembered less as food and more as a quiet and tragic moment that lingered long after he was gone.
8. Thomas Grasso – Spaghetti Complaint
Thomas Grasso went big with his request, ordering two dozen steamed mussels, a Burger King double cheeseburger, half a dozen ribs, pumpkin pie, and SpaghettiOs. What people remember most though was his complaint that the kitchen gave him plain spaghetti instead. In his final statement, he actually said, “I did not get my SpaghettiOs. I got spaghetti.” That one sentence traveled far beyond the prison walls. His elaborate order became a footnote, while his grievance about pasta became the headline. It showed how in the strangest moments, what’s missing can matter more than everything else served.
9. Robert Alton Harris – Fast Food Spread
Robert Alton Harris chose a mix of favorites that could have been mistaken for a party menu. He requested a 21 piece bucket of KFC, two large Domino’s pizzas, ice cream, and a six pack of Pepsi. Uniquely, he was also given a pack of Camel cigarettes, something rare for final requests. Reports said he ate slowly, savoring the meal as though stretching out time. The choices sounded like a weekend gathering rather than a death row dinner, proving once again that familiar foods carry comfort even in the most unfamiliar of circumstances.
10. Steven Michael Woods Jr. – Bacon and More
Steven Michael Woods Jr. ordered a meal that seemed designed to overwhelm. His tray included two pounds of bacon, a large four meat pizza, fried chicken, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, root beer, sweet tea, and a pint of vanilla ice cream. Guards recalled it as one of the largest meals they had ever prepared. The sheer volume suggested a kind of reckless embrace of excess, a last chance to indulge without restraint. Instead of a symbolic gesture, it felt like a pile of cravings thrown together, leaving behind a strange memory of too much in a moment of too little.
11. Ronnie Lee Gardner – Food and Film
Ronnie Lee Gardner’s last request stood out for its pairing. His meal included lobster tail, steak, apple pie, and vanilla ice cream, but what set his case apart was the permission to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy during his final days. Witnesses recalled that he seemed more interested in the movies than the food itself. That unusual allowance gave his ending a softer, almost human dimension. While many focused only on plates of food, Gardner mixed comfort for the body with a story for the mind, leaving behind a uniquely different final chapter.
12. James Edward Smith – Yogurt Instead
James Edward Smith made one of the strangest requests ever recorded. Instead of food, he asked for a lump of dirt to use in a ritual. Officials denied it for health reasons and substituted a plain cup of yogurt. The choice baffled many, yet it revealed how deeply personal beliefs surface at the end. The yogurt itself was unremarkable, but the story behind it turned his request into something memorable. It showed that not all meals were about taste or comfort. Sometimes they reflected faith, or in Smith’s case, a ritual that could not be fulfilled.
13. Oscar Ray Bolin – Steak Dinner
Oscar Ray Bolin’s last meal had the feel of a classic American dinner. He asked for a ribeye steak cooked medium rare, a baked potato, salad, garlic bread, lemon meringue pie, and a Coca Cola. The choices seemed familiar and comforting, almost like something from a family restaurant menu. Reporters who covered it described it as straightforward and ordinary, yet it carried the same finality as the more unusual requests. In the end, whether extravagant or plain, these meals reveal fragments of human nature in moments most of us can barely imagine. What would yours be?
This story 13 Death Row Meals of Notorious American Inmates, What They Ate Before the End was first published on Daily FETCH
