10 Death Row Requests In The Boundaries Of Logic

We’ve all asked or, at the very least, thought about that godforsaken situation whereby we could only eat one more food for the rest of our lives. Or perhaps what is it we would request if we could have anything in the world as our last meal. Macabre a thought as it may be, there are hundreds of people the world over at any one time who for various reasons are indeed faced with such a decision. Which of course results in some super-weird death row requests. Exactly what do those – quite literally at the end of their rope – crave at the very last moment, right before having to face the mother of all known diets?

Robert Buell became famous in the early 80s for all the wrong reasons, having been convicted of the rape-murder of a child of 11. Despite the fact that he had already been sentenced to serve no less than 121 years for a string of other rape offence, he continued to adamantly deny his involvement in this particular murder. For his last meal on God’s green Earth, Buell request just a single black olive! Though he was demanding enough to insist that the stone was removed.

Prison catering staff and the outside sources used for special requests are used to fulfilling baffling orders, but that coming from Odell Barnes Junior was a little out of even their league. Despite the fact that back in 1989 he had beaten, burgled and murdered a woman in the most brutal possible manner, he decided that his last wish would be world peace with a lavish side of equality and justice. He was of course denied and, therefore, got the standard issue rations.

A brief mention to this particular request just for the sake of its rather high profile nature. Saddam Hussein reportedly turned down a final request of cigarettes and chicken, opting for mainly boiled rice in the days leading up to his hanging.

A particularly famous case was that of Robert Madden. Despite being convicted of horrid murder, he requested his last meal to be donated to a homeless person of the choice of the prison staff. However, what made the story more surprising was the fact that his request was turned down point blank for no good reason. A sad story with no winners, though the tale did go on to motivate others to do the same across the US. Though with much more accommodating prison staff.

Another notably large meal though with one classic touch of common sense came from Walter LaGrand who said his final goodbye back in 1999, following his conviction of a shopping list of hideous crimes. He requested a meal consisting of 16 pieces of bacon, a pile of hash browns, six eggs, breakfast steaks, sherbet, three different sodas, coffee, two packs of sugar and hot sauce. The crowning glory… a pack of Rolaids to limit suffering. As there would be enough of that to come.