Reader's Last Meals....1000th Execution Edition....

Mr. E. Magical from parts unknown....

If I'm being electrocuted.. Slice & chopped Barbeque, beans, cole slaw, french fries, cheese cake, diet Pepsi... and one cup of unpopped popcorn.

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Sasha B. from parts unknown...

1 pound of wiener in my buns.

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A. Van Man from parts unknown....

two McDonalds quarter pounders and a coffee about 20 minutes before they come get me, have fun cleaning the mess I leave when I cant hold it any longer

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Lumpy from parts unknown...

Gin and tonic20oz NY steak (Rare as hell) Bloody Mary (Extra spicy) Burrito from “The Taco Shack”MargaritaLarge comb # 1 pizza from “Flying Pie Pizza”Six pack of Black Butte Porter beer from Deschutes Brewery .

And I want to eat and drink all of this while Angelina Jolie does a strip tease to any Metalica song~ Or is that too much to ask for?

&

Natasha S. from parts unknown....

For breakfast all from denny's :2 eggs,3 pices of toast,5 links of maple susage,4 cinnamon raison bagles with philly cream cheese,20 pices of bacon,a large glass of milk,a large glass of orange juice,a large glass of french vanilla tea.

For lunch:All from steaknshake 2 rump roast,2 medium rare steaks w/a-1 steak sauce,3 grilled cheese sandwitches,2 bowls of tomato soup,4 plates of chilly cheese fries,6chicken fajitas,10 hot wings,2 x-large supreme pizzas.a 2 liter of moutain dew.

For dinner:salad w/ a light ranch dressing(gotta be hillshire farms),2 baked pataoes light butter,patato skins in a a hot sauce,2 chicken pot pies homemade.For dessert:two boston creme pies,1 apple almode,and a little piece of poontang pie!

&

B. Snowball from parts unknown...

A REUBEN on Pumpernickel with No 1000 Island Dressing,Sub It with Horseradish Mustard & Maybe a couple of Two-Three Onion Rings. The REAL ONES. Half a Dozen Fresh Oysters, Creamed Spinach, Fresh Asparagus w Lemon Butter ,Chicken Corn Chowder w/ Crab,Eli's Pumpkin Cheesecake,A Diet Dr. Pepper and Decaf. Maybe a Sliver of Dark Chocolate with The Coffee and Nice Honduran Hoyo de Monterey Maduro Lungrocket. Make It A Churchill. Or Chinese. From China. Delivered. Take Your Time.

OHIO LAST MEAL
JOHN R. HICKS
November 29, 2005

...999...

Last Meal: Hicks had a last meal request of two steaks, a baked potato, salad, bread, apple pie, a soft drink and potato chips.

The skinny: Hicks, 49, was executed for killing his mother-in-law and 5-year-old stepdaughter after a cocaine binge 20 years ago.

More skinny: The Los Angeles Dodgers were playing the Cincinnati Reds the night John Hicks told his wife he was going to a ballgame while she worked the night shift at a downtown bank. Instead, Hicks spent the last of his money getting high on cocaine and, before the night was over, strangled his wife's mother and suffocated his wife's 5-year-old daughter.

Hicks was a cocaine and alcohol addict. He took the VCR from his own home, pawned it, and purchased cocaine. When he realized his wife would become angry when she found out what he had done, he decided to rob his mother in law. He telephoned her to say he was coming around. When he arrived around 11pm he put his stepdaughter to bed. He then approached the victim from behind and strangled her with his own hands. To make sure she was really dead he used a length of clothesline. He searched her bedroom and stole $300 and some credit cards.

After buying more cocaine, he realized his stepdaughter would place him at the scene of the crime and could be a potential witness. He returned and smothered her with a pillow. When this failed to kill his stepdaughter, he tried to use his own hands, and then duct taped her mouth and nose. He attempted to dismember the mother-in-law in the bathtub, but gave up after nearly cutting one of her legs off.

Two days later he was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee, confessing to the crimes.

Leading up to: On his last night alive, Hicks spoke to his mother, brother and a friend by phone. A death row minister, Rev. Gary Sims, counseled him. In his final days and hours, Hicks remained calm and compliant, reading the Bible, listening to the radio and talking with Sims.

Last words and such: Hicks walked 17 steps into the death chamber where he was strapped to a bed that was bolted to the floor. He asked for his glasses, which the warden placed on his face. He looked to the left into the witness chamber searching for recognizable faces.

He then spoke his last words: "I know it's been 20 years of pain and hurt, but during those 20 years I suffered, too. I cared and I loved, too, for Maxine and Brandy. It began with a syringe in my arm and this day is ending with a needle in my arm. It's come full circle." He thanked his attorneys and singled out four death row inmates to "hang in there and stay strong. Take care, 'cause I'm coming home.Lord, hallelujah.Yes, thank you."

Factoids: Hicks was the...

55th murderer executed in U.S. in 2005
999th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in Ohio in 2005
19th murderer executed in Ohio since 1976

Hicks asked for clemency but Gov. Bob Taft said he had offered no reason to justify it.

Seven Ohio inmates were executed last year, second-highest in the nation after Texas.

ARKANSAS LAST MEAL
ERIC RANDALL NANCE
November 28, 2005

Last Meal: Nance had a final meal request of two bacon cheeseburgers, French fries, two pints of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and two cans of Coca-Cola.

The skinny: Nance was executed for murdering an 18-year old Malvern cheerleader by stabbing her in the throat with a box cutter after coming upon her standing by her broken-down car.

More skinny: The girl's vehicle was discovered abandoned. A week later, her body was found on rural property approximately 7.5 miles from her vehicle. Although the autopsy failed to reveal the cause or manner of death, medical evidence showed likely trauma to the head, and defects to her clothing were consistent with a cutting wound.

At trial, Nance's brother and sister testified that, after initially denying any involvement in the crime, Nance later stated that he had accidentally killed the victim. Nance told them that the victim's automobile had broken down on the road, that he picked her up, that his work knife slid out of his pocket, that as he moved to put the knife in the glove compartment, the victim turned started kicking him, that he put his hand up to keep her from kicking and hitting him, and that the knife fatally lodged in her throat.

A little more than a year later, the girl’s mother committed suicide.

The trial: In the sentencing phase, the State presented as evidence six prior felony convictions stemming from Nance's rape and beating of two Oklahoma girls in 1982. Nance was released from his twenty-year sentence for those convictions five months before he killed the girl.

Last words and such: Nance was executed after a delay of more than an hour while a U.S. Supreme Court justice reviewed his appeals.

Nance, 45, remained silent when asked if he wished to make a final statement. Witnesses said his eyes remained closed.

Factoids: Nance was the...

54th murderer executed in U.S. in 2005
998th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
1st murderer executed in Arkansas in 2005
27th murderer executed in Arkansas since 1976

About 30 protesters gathered briefly outside the Governor's Mansion on Monday night and sang "Amazing Grace." They also lit candles to remember previous inmates executed in Arkansas.

NORTH CAROLINA LAST MEAL
ELIAS HANN SYRIANI
November 18, 1005

Last Meal: Syriani had no final meal request.

The skinny: Syriani, a 67-year-old immigrant who stabbed his wife to death with a screwdriver after she threatened divorce was executed by injection.

More skinny: Syriani and his wife were separated. Syriani was living in a motel, and his wife with their children in their home. One night shortly before midnight, Syriani drove to their home. As his wife drove her car onto a nearby street, Syriani blocked her way with his van. He got out of his van, gestured, and chased after her car as she put it in reverse. As his wife sat in her car, he began stabbing her with a screwdriver through the open door or window, while their ten-year-old son sat in the seat beside her.

The boy was unable to stop his father, got out and ran home to get his older sister. At least two neighbors watched from their homes as dSyriani stabbed his wife and then walked away. The wife died twenty-eight days later. She suffered numerous stab wounds in the attack, the fatal wound a three-inch deep puncture wound to the right temple. Syriani stopped at a nearby fire station for first aid, claiming he was battered by his wife. He was covered in blood, but had only some light scratches on his arm and shoulder. Police were called and he was arrested. The murder weapon, a screwdriver, was never found.

Leading up to: Syriani visited and hugged his children beforehand after 15 years locked away from their touch. The children - including the son who witnessed the attack and testified against Syriani - argued that letting him live would allow them to restore their connection to their mother.

Russ Sizemore, a lawyer representing the children, said it was "incomprehensible" that Easley denied clemency after hearing from Rose, Janet and John Syriani and Sarah Barbari, who had been raised by their aunt and uncle in Chicago after their mother died.

Last words and such: (Prepared Statement: "I want to thank God first for everything that happened in my life. I want to thank my children. I want to thank my family, especially my sister, Odeet. I want to thank all the beautiful friends who share with me my sufferings for 15 years and four months and they so encouraged me, specifically Mr. and Mrs. Meg Eggleston who become a sister to me. She helped me a lot to accept everything. I thank everyone from the staff, nurses, chaplains. I thank everyone.")

"I love you," he said to the Egglestons. "I love everybody." Over the next 10 minutes he smiled, grimaced, cried. Mostly he talked to the Egglestons. He mouthed each word carefully. We could pick up only fragments. "I want them to be happy." "Fifteen years." "I hope ... I hope ... I really loved her."

Factoids: Syriani ws the....

53rd murderer executed in U.S. in 2005
997th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
4th murderer executed in North Carolina in 2005
38th murderer executed in North Carolina since 1976

Gov. Mike Easley denied clemency Thursday.

Nationally, clemency was granted 186 times - including 167 commutations by the Illinois governor in 2003 - between 2001 and 2005, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

TEXAS LAST MEAL
SHANNON CHARLES THOMAS
NOVEMBER 16, 2005

...Relatives bringing Christmas gifts to the home were greeted with the horror of discovering the three bodies...

Last Meal: Thomas has no final meal request.

The skinny: Thomas was executed for a Christmas Eve killing spree that left a man and two of his children dead.

More skinny: On Christmas Eve in Baytown, Police discovered the body of a man in the living room of his home, his arms and torso were bound with duct tape, and he was covered in blood. He had been shot three times, twice in the head, and slashed with a steak knife that remained embedded in his neck. His two children, an 11 year old and a 10 year old, were found upstairs in the girl's room. Both were dead, lying facedown on the floor, side-by-side. Each had a single, fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Thomas and Keith Bernard Clay had been past drug customers of the man, but on that Christmas Eve, they would later tell police, the pair came to the home looking to take the small time dope peddler for everything he had. The children were executed to eliminate witnesses.

Relatives bringing Christmas gifts to the home were greeted with the horror of discovering the three bodies.

Less than two weeks later, Thomas and Clay would be involved in another murder in Baytown. This time their target was a clerk at the Airwood Grocery Store on Park Street. Clay entered the convenience store and fired 10 shots at the man, hitting him six times. If that was not enough, the clerk was also beaten with the pistol. Thomas was the getaway driver.

Clay was executed on March 20, 2003 for the Varughese murder.

Wheels of justice turn slowly: It was almost two years before any arrests were made in the slayings. Thomas and Clay apparently told friends about the murders. When one of those friends was arrested on a drug charge, he gave police information implicating the two.

Uh, okay: On a Web site where death row inmates seek pen pals, he described himself as "a very honest person and those are the type of people with whom I choose to associate myself with."

Money quote: "When you're at a murder scene looking at dead kids and there's Christmas presents around and you look at the TV and 'It's A Wonderful Life' is playing, it took me five years before I could watch that movie again," a Baytown detective said Tuesday.

Last words and such: "I want you to be strong and get through this time. Do not fall back. Keep going forward. Don't let this hinder you. Let everybody know I love them." Thomas mentioned several people by their first names, telling his sister to tell them he loved them and to stay strong. "This is kind of hard to put words together. I am nervous and it is hard to put my thoughts together. Sometimes you don't know what to say. I hope these words give you comfort. ... Let everybody know I love them and love is unconditional as mama always told us. I may be gone in flesh but I am always with you in spirit."

Factoids: Thomas was the....

52nd murderer executed in U.S. in 2005
996th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
19th murderer executed in Texas in 2005
355th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

TEXAS LAST MEAL
ROBERT DALE ROWELL
November 15, 2005

..,Rowell earned his GED and associate's degree in prison...

Last Meal: Rowell has no final meal request.

The skinny: Rowell, 50. a habitual drug user, was executed for the slayings of two people at a Houston crack house 12 years ago.

More skinny: Rowell went to the Houston home of one of the victims before dawn complaining about paying too much for some crack cocaine and looking for dope and money. The second victim and her husband were also living in the home, variously described as a "crack house" at trial. Holding a gun, Rowell told the couple he would shoot them if they tried to leave. After Rowell went into the owner’s room, and the two heard a thumping sound followed by owner screaming for Rowell to stop hitting him.

After about three minutes, the owner and Rowell went to the couple’s bedroom. The owner was staggering, covered in blood. Rowell ordered the trio to get into the bathtub; he then shot all three. The woman died from a gunshot wound, and the man was bleeding from wounds to the the back of his head inflicted with a claw hammer. The husband was seriously wounded but survived to testify against Rowell. Rowell then proceeded to take a shower and clean himself up.

Police arrested Rowell where he worked, finding a .22 caliber revolver with six spent cartridge casings in the chamber, the gun case, and one of the victim’s bank bag in his work area.

Priors...lotsa priors: In 1974, Rowell was convicted and sentenced for robbery and paroled. In 1980, he was convicted and sentenced for a string of armed robberies, exchanging gunfire with an off-duty policeman in one case, and received a 30 year sentence. While in prison he was convicted of manslaughter for stabbing to death another inmate and sentenced to 8 years. He was freed under mandatory parole in 1991, two years before the capital murders.

No Love: Unlike many of his fellow inmates on death row, Robert Dale Rowell never got much television airtime or received much newspaper ink. The 50-year-old walked into Texas' death chamber tonight a virtual unknown, the 18th inmate to be put to death this year.

No public campaign was been waged on his behalf. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty issued a routine alert on Rowell's execution that does little more than lay out the facts of his case. A last-minute reprieve was unlikely. His lawyers did not claim he was mentally retarded or that his trial attorney fell asleep in court. His appeals were exhausted last month when the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review his case or his claim that the trial judge should have given the jury better instructions.

Last words and such: “I would like to apologize to the victims' family and all the grief I have caused them,” Robert Dale Rowell said in a brief final statement as the mother, sister and brother of one of his victims watched through a window. “I would like to say I love the girls next to them,” he said, referring to six women he selected to watch him die. Several of them sobbed. Then he said, “Praise the Lord. Let's go warden. That's it.” Rowell, 50, snorted twice as the drugs began taking effect. He was pronounced dead nine minutes later.

Factoids: Rowell was the...

51st murderer executed in U.S. in 2005
995th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
18th murderer executed in Texas in 2005
354th murderer executed in Texas since 1976

One other execution is scheduled in Texas for December. If carried out, the 20 lethal injections would be three less than a year ago. A record 40 were carried out in 2000.

Rowell earned his GED and associate's degree in prison.