DME.COM READER'S LAST MEAL...

Chris M. of our Nation's Capitol has a lot of time on his hands. (No government worker jokes, please!) Chris has FOUR different meal scenairos.

DME Editor sidebar...Chris is our first reader to have something from Braum's. DME.com like Braum's. We lived there during grad school and highly recommend the Praline and Cream Malt with extra Malt....

They are....

First request (The "Gorging Because I Can" Request) -- 4 rotisserie chickens with skin extra crispy; 4 porterhouse steaks medium rare; mashed potatoes and cream gravy; 4 baked potatoes with sour green, butter and chives; 4 lbs of bacon fried crispy; french fries with chili and cheese and extra ketchup; 4 gallons of strawberry ice cream; 4 chocolate malts; 4 12oz cups of strawberry soda.

Second Request (The "What I Really Like And A Lot Of It" Request) -- One 16oz New York strip steak grilled medium rare with dry rub; Broccoli, carrots, onions, green peppers saute'ed in garlic butter; Steamed asparagus with butter; Spaghetti with tomato sauce, large meatballs and fresh parmesan cheese grated on top; One fried chicken breast; French fries with extra ketchup; One burger-you-flip-over with cheese and a green pepper on top; One tall Jim Beam & Coke (not allowed); One tall old fashioned (not allowed); One gallon of cookies & cream ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and four cherries.

Third Request (The "F U Warden" Request) -- 10 lbs of dungeoness crab legs; Mahi Mahi with truffle butter glaze; steak tartare; one pot roast shaped to look like the head of George W. Bush (I can at least dream he's being cooked right?); 2 gallons of great white shark fin soup; 2 entire servings of Baked Alaska; bananas foster; a cherry limeade from Braum's in Tulsa, OK; cookies made by my grandmother (who is dead).

Fourth Request (The "World Peace" Request) -- The Love Of My Lord And Savior Jesus Christ

Ahhh!

Retarded in Texas, Retarded in Tennessee....

Is Dining delayed, Dining denied? Twice during the last week claims of mental incompentence has halted the hangman...

The deets...

First in Texas...

A federal appeals court halted the scheduled Wednesday execution of a Texas killer so a court could hear new arguments about whether he is mentally retarded.

Robert Charles Ladd, 46, was to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. for the murder of a mentally disabled Tyler woman in 1996. The stay was issued nine hours before his scheduled execution at the Walls Unit in Huntsville.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans granted the stay because of juvenile records uncovered by his attorney that indicate he might be mentally retarded. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected the same argument last week.

Sydney Snelling-Young, Ladd's defense attorney, found a psychologist who tested Ladd years ago when he was in a juvenile prison in Gainesville, Texas. His IQ at the time was 67, below the accepted retardation threshold of 70. More recently his score has been 86, according to prison officials.

Prosecutors said Ladd's score of 86, his ability to obtain a graduate equivalency diploma and graduate from barber college prove that he is not mentally retarded.


Next in Tennessee...

Less than four hours from his scheduled execution, seven-time convicted murderer Paul Dennis Reid, a Texas drifter, got a reprieve from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Reid, 45, was set to die by lethal injection at 1 a.m. today, becoming the second Tennessee inmate executed in 43 years.

Reid dropped his appeals on two of his death sentences last month, clearing the way for his execution. His sister, Janet Kirkpatrick of Hungerford, filed a motion last week seeking to resume the appeals on his behalf because he is mentally ill.

U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell found that Reid was mentally ill but understood the consequences of his actions.

Kirkpatrick appealed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court, and the justices ruled that a mental competency hearing was needed. The justices halted the execution and sent the case back to Campbell's court.

Reid received seven death sentences for a string of murders at fast-food restaurants in Nashville and Clarksville in 1997.

The day before, Reid chose his last meal — 16-ounce cut of prime rib, medium, seasoned with garlic. He also requested asparagus, a baked potato and a ''large'' piece of German chocolate.

OHIO LAST MEAL
DAVID BREWER
April 29, 2003

Not Flounder and Pinto here...

Last Meal: Monday, Brewer ordered a special meal of deep-fried chicken, baked potato with butter, macaroni and cheese, corn, dinner rolls, a slice of apple pie and root beer. His unspecial last meal was Tuesday at 6 a.m., when he had Rice Krispies and water for breakfast.

The skinny: Brewer, a former college football player, was executed for killing a friend's wife. Brewer kidnapped and killed and stuffed the victim in the trunk of his car, then strangled and stabbed her when she tried to get away. The victim was the bride of Brewer's college fraternity brother. During her captivity, the victim wrote "Help Me Please" in lipstick on a piece of paper and pushed it outside the trunk, where it was seen by other motorists. They called police with the car's license number; police traced the car to Brewer.

Last Words and such: Brewer walked briskly into the death chamber and lay on the table. He wore a white V-neck T-shirt, blue pants with orange stripes and tan boots. Brewer said in his last statement "I'd like to say to the system in Ohio as far as the death row inmates are concerned, there are some that are innocent. I'm not one of them, but there are plenty that are innocent. I hope the state recognizes that. That's all I have to say."

The victim's husband, witnessing Brewer's execution, said softly: "Where's your remorse?"

Process Notes: Brewer's execution was delayed about ten minutes because the execution team had trouble fitting the shunts that would carry the chemicals to his veins into his arm.

Factoids: Brewer was the first man from the Dayton area to be executed by the state of Ohio in almost 63 years.

Brewer was Ohio’s seventh executed inmate since 1999.