There is nothing more eerily interesting to the common man as the mind of a serial killer. True crime continues to be the source of fascination for many, due to just how out of ordinary the crimes people commit can be, by people who could be next door neighbors or friends.
Nothing brings people together like food, and knowing that serial killers have a taste for something other than blood is as interesting as it is humanizing. Let’s explore the last meals of these convicted killers, before paying the ultimate price for their federal crimes:
- John Wayne Gacy
Known famously as the Killer Clown, John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 teenage boys in 1970 under the guise of a performer for fundraising events and parades. Gacy faced capital punishment in 1994, but not before requesting a meal of fried chicken, fried shrimp, french fries, and fresh strawberries.
- Ted Bundy
Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy is responsible for the deaths of over 30 people, and confessed to his crimes shortly before his execution in 1989. While Bundy interestingly declined a last meal, the prison gave him the standard last meal given to death row inmates: a steak (medium-rare), eggs over easy, toast with butter and jelly, hash browns, milk, coffee, and juice.
- Timothy McVeigh
In one of America’s most heinous acts of terrorism, the Oklahoma City Bombing, Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people in a federal building in downtown Oklahoma City via a bomb placed in a truck. McVeigh was executed in 2001, and had requested 2 pints of chocolate chip ice cream as a final meal.
- Saddam Hussein
The Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein goes down in history as being the “butcher of Baghdad” being responsible for the deaths of over 250,000 Iraqis. Though unconfirmed, it is said that Hussein was given permission for a last meal, consisting of boiled chicken and rice, and a few cups of hot water with honey.
- Bruno Richard Hauptmann
Once dubbed “the most hated man in the world” for the murder of Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old baby, Bruno Richard Hauptmann paid the price for the crime after his car was found associated with evidence from the scene. For his last meal, Hauptmann requested chicken, buttered peas, french fries, olives, celery, cherries, and a slice of cake.
- Ronnie Lee Gardner
In 1984, Ronnie Lee Gardner murdered a man during a robbery in Salt Lake City. While moving prisons for a court appearance, Gardner proceeded to murder an attorney in an attempt to escape. After he was caught, he was charged with both murders, and faced the death penalty. Gardner ultimately chose death by firing squad as his execution style, both because of his “Mormon upbringing” and because it would tarnish Utah’s reputation during the 2002 Winter Olympics. For his last meal, Gardner chose steak, lobster tail, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and 7-Up.
- Jonathan Nobles
While being convicted for the murder of two murders, Jonathan Nobles found God and Christianity while incarcerated. For his last meal in 1998, Nobles requested bread as part of a last holy communion ritual.
