Friday, October 22, 2004

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The final meal request for Charles Wesley Roache, North Carolina, October 22, 2004.

Roache requested a last meal of sirloin steak, popcorn shrimp, salad with bleu cheese dressing, a honeybun and vanilla coke.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

this is an audio post - click to play

The final meal request for Ricky Eugene Morrow, Texas, October 20, 2004.

Morrow requested a last meal of a cheeseburger, french fries, onion rings and iced tea.

Monday, October 18, 2004

OHIO LAST MEAL
ADREMY DENNIS
October 13, 2004

...not exactly a picture of remorse, plus, pie, pie, pie...

Last Meal: Fried catfish, lasagna with meat sauce, garlic bread, sweet potato pie, pecan pie and pumpkin pie, all with whipped cream, as well as vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

With no hope in sight to ward off his death, Dennis joyfully munched on pie and ice cream as he watched Jerry Springer from Ohio's death house.

Last week, Dennis promised would be last meal would be``outrageous'' during a media interview. He refused any vegetables.

The skinny: Dennis was executed for committing murder during a $15 robbery.

More skinny: In the early morning hours, Dennis and a Leroy Anderson decided to go to a bar and "meet some chicks." Anderson spoke of "robbing somebody," and the pair armed themselves with weapons: Dennis with a sawed-off shotgun and Anderson with a .25 caliber handgun. The pair had a few drinks and walking from the bar unsuccessfully attempted to rob a man they encountered. Minutes later, the two confronted the 29 year old victim outside his home talking to a friend. When they demanded money, the friend inside the car slowly handed over his wallet with $15 in it. The victim, outside the car, searched through his pockets and told Dennis that he had no money with him. Dennis then pulled out the sawed-off shotgun and shot the man in the head at point-blank range. He died instantly.

From death row and in front the parole board: Dennis told an Ohio Parole Board member that he regretted the robbery brought so little cash and that he allowed any witnesses to survive.

Dennis had said the victim was partly to blame for failing to cooperate and notice that he was high on drugs. "I ain't saying it's all his fault, but why did he move? Every day I think about that. It ain't 'Why did you kill that man?' It's 'Why did you move?'"

''(The victim) had to know I was drunk. I know he could smell it on my breath, smell the weed lingering on my clothes,'' Dennis said.

Dennis' accomplice, Anderson, was 17 at the time of the crime and Ohio law prohibits the death penalty for those younger than 18. He is serving a life sentence.

Last words and such: "I'm in God's hands now. Everything's going to be just the way it was intended. I'll see everybody when they get there."

Factoids: Dennis was the...

50th murderer executed in U.S. in 2004
935th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
7th murderer executed in Ohio in 2004
15th murderer executed in Ohio since 1976

At age 28, Dennis was the youngest inmate put to death in Ohio since 1962.


TEXAS LAST MEAL
DONALD LOREN ALDRICH
October 12, 2004

...Sundown for Sundance...

Last Meal: Chef salad with French/Ranch dressing, fried chicken breasts and legs, french fries, a cheeseburger, chocolate cake, deviled eggs, and biscuits with gravy.

The Skinny: Aldrich was executed for the abduction of a homosexual East Texas man who wound up victim of a gay-bashing murder.

More skinny: Aldrich was a member of what became known as the "CB gang," so named because the members first became acquainted over CB radios.

For months the gang in which Aldrich was known as "Sundance" preyed on homosexuals in the Tyler area. One evening they decided to go "queer-bashing," using procedures similar to those they had employed at least twice in the past to rob and assault homosexuals.

They drove to Bergfeld Park, a homosexual meeting spot in Tyler, Texas, where they robbed the victim at gunpoint. After robbing the man of his money and vehicle, they forced him into their automobile and drove to a remote area. They then forced the victim to strip, walk up a hill, where Aldrich and another one of the assailants shot him at least nine times with two .357 handguns.

Aldrich fired at least three shots into the victim. In a videotaped confession to police, Aldrich, considered leader of the cadre, said he didn't like homosexuals because at age 9 he had been raped by a gay cousin. One accomplice was convicted and executed in 2003. Another, who was 17 at the time, was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery and received a life prison term.

On a Danish Internet site devoted to condemned prisoners, Aldrich, an Oklahoma native who worked as a baker, acknowledged he was "part of a crime that ended in the death of a young man, but did not play a part in his death."

Priors: Alrich was previously convicted of Burglary and Robbery and was on parole at the time of the murders.

Last words and such: "To the West family, I would just like to apologize for your loss. I hope that you can forgive me. To my family and loved ones and friends, I thank all of you for your support, and I'm sorry for the pain and hurt I caused you. All right warden."

Factoids: Aldrich was the...

49th murderer executed in U.S. in 2004
934nd murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
16th murderer executed in Texas in 2004
329th murderer executed in Texas since 1976