Convicted murderer's last meals - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

elchivito · #1 03-11-2015, 12:25 PM

I briefly got detoured a minute ago reading about AZ convicted murderers and their last meals and words. Came across this one:

Walter Burnhart LaGrand
LaGrand, 37, was executed in 1999 despite protests from the German government and a flurry of international controversy over the death penalty. It was the state's first use of the gas chamber since 1992. A week earlier, his brother was executed for the same crime -- killing a bank manager during a botched robbery attempt. Witnesses said his death by gas chamber was difficult to watch because he gurgled and coughed violently.

Last meal: Six over-easy, fried eggs, 16 strips of bacon, hash-browns, one pint of pineapple sherbet ice cream, one well-done "breakfast steak," one 16-ounce cup filled with ice, one 7UP, one Dr. Pepper, one Coke, one portion of hot sauce, one cup of coffee, two packets of sugar and four Rolaids tablets.

MTI · #2 03-11-2015, 12:45 PM

Remember the story of a last meal in the California gold fields . . . the convicted asked for fried eggs, knowing that there wasn't a chicken within a couple hundred miles.

Most states don't "cater" last meals, they are prepared from the prison's food service staff.

aklim · #3 03-11-2015, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

I briefly got detoured a minute ago reading about AZ convicted murderers and their last meals and words. Came across this one:

Walter Burnhart LaGrand
LaGrand, 37, was executed in 1999 despite protests from the German government and a flurry of international controversy over the death penalty. It was the state's first use of the gas chamber since 1992. A week earlier, his brother was executed for the same crime -- killing a bank manager during a botched robbery attempt. Witnesses said his death by gas chamber was difficult to watch because he gurgled and coughed violently.

Last meal: Six over-easy, fried eggs, 16 strips of bacon, hash-browns, one pint of pineapple sherbet ice cream, one well-done "breakfast steak," one 16-ounce cup filled with ice, one 7UP, one Dr. Pepper, one Coke, one portion of hot sauce, one cup of coffee, two packets of sugar and four Rolaids tablets.

Awww. Such a pity. Supposedly not only did the bank manager die but someone got hurt badly. What was their pain like compared to his few minutes of coughing and gurgling?

Well, wouldn't want to get indigestion, would you?

Idle · #4 03-11-2015, 01:26 PM

Oklahoma's death row, which is just across town from me, gives them a budget of $25 and a stack of menus from take-out places around town.

They order right off the menu and someone on the staff will pick it up and deliver it to their cell.

They can request whatever they want but they are going to get something from the menus that cost less than $25.

t walgamuth · #5 03-11-2015, 02:12 PM

I'd have an 8 oz filet, a baked potatoe with sour cream, a tossed salad and three or four Jack Daniels on the rocks.

barry12345 · #6 03-11-2015, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

I'd have an 8 oz filet, a baked potatoe with sour cream, a tossed salad and three or four Jack Daniels on the rocks.

Tom, if the state will not spring for it at the time if wanted. I will cover it.

t walgamuth · #7 03-11-2015, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

Tom, if the state will not spring for it at the time if wanted. I will cover it.

If you are ever here in Lafayette, I'll buy you one!

barry12345 · #8 03-11-2015, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

If you are ever here in Lafayette, I'll buy you one!

I never knew they executed people there.

As I typed this I wondered if the last supper practice originated from a religious perspective.

The local town being the county capital has a hanging dock incorportated in a very old cut stone massive structure .Probably was used many times I suspect as the building is very old. It is empty and will remain so as there is no way to heat it at todays costs and changing even a window size is a job with two to three foot thick cut stone. The building is protected under the historic sites act anyways. It has one fabulous clock on the peak that is still kept running most years. The hanging chamber is two stories high I have heard. A portion of the second and third stories.

The last two people hanged in town occurred in 1939. They had killed an old lady for a few dollars and the residents where really upset. So the officials hung the pair in a large tree outside the building. Apparently there were throngs of people present for the executions. They had carved their initials in a cars wooden steering wheel at some earlier period. A friend of mine got it at a yard sale or some other simple way I cannot remember. He was astute enough to recognize the combination of initials as being those two.

Now if you want violet painful executions you are in the right province here. Louisburg, Nova Scotia was a French outpost from the very early days. Young guys came from France to seek their fortunes and return home. That early if not first town also had an impressive military barracks. It still stands in a restored or duplicated condition. I have a feeling the whole town is a reproduction basically. If so it took a lot of money to do and years as well.

If a person commited a pretty simple crime there You where tied to a horizontal wheel. The executioner took a bar of iron and broke your limbs and rib cage.. If the offence was not too serious he then put you to death. .

If a more serious crime you were just left to slowly expire on the wheel after the iron bar treatment. The practice apparently was only discontinued when the court could no longer find a person to act as the executioner.

The judge even ordered the army contingent to do it. They refused either initially or not too long after. Like the French justice system back in France the judge was probably both the prosecution and defence. Napolion is credited with inventing the justice system but it got tweaked somewhat over the years.

The place is now a restored village basically and national park. You cannot drive a car close but instead take a dedicated bus into the site. They have people employed seasonally as residents in costume living as the people there once did.

One nice young lady working there asked me if she could help. So I asked her where the house of ill repute was and also was the wheel still represented on the site.

I was informed pleasantly with a smile that she did not know where the house I mentioned was as she had never worked in that building. Adding that they were not to talk about the wheel. With a little prodding she fessed up that she was all too well aware of it though.

I doubt anyone would be in the mood to have any type of last supper when faced with the wheel. I never dug deeply into the issue but figure crime was not much of a problem there. The horrific deterant would give you nightmares. Having you head chopped off is almost a walk in the park by comparison in my mind.

Perhaps the losing your head over a women expression originated from the French justice system as well.

aklim · #9 03-11-2015, 06:56 PM

Would be much more fun if we could tell them they would be executed tomorrow and the next morning, walk them to the place of execution and at the last minute say "just kidding". On a random day, really execute them. Keep them guessing when it will come.

We could run a horse race of sort and have people bet on when it happens.

barry12345 · #10 03-11-2015, 07:30 PM

In a very similar way we do it now in states where execution dates are set and changed multiple times to allow appeals. As long as ten years of suspense by the individual waiting must take it's toll.

There are usually many important questions that need answered first. Like as the governor did this guy vote for me? Can he donate money to our party? Is he a distant member of the family?

aklim · #11 03-11-2015, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

In a very similar way we do it now in states where execution dates are set and changed multiple times to allow appeals. As long as ten years of suspense by the individual waiting must take it's toll.

I'm not sure I follow you. How is it similar? In the one case, I decide when it happens. In the other case, you drag your feet and initiate the delay.

Idle · #12 03-12-2015, 03:48 PM

If you are ever in Dallas and visit Dealy Plazy look to the east and check out the old red stone building. It was the first major Dallas County courthouse and today is known as Old Red.

Look up at the top. That's not a clock tower; its' a hanging tower although I don't think it was ever used.

The Old Red Museum | Take a Journey Through History

t walgamuth · #13 03-12-2015, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

I never knew they executed people there.

As I typed this I wondered if the last supper practice originated from a religious perspective.

The local town being the county capital has a hanging dock incorportated in a very old cut stone massive structure .Probably was used many times I suspect as the building is very old. It is empty and will remain so as there is no way to heat it at todays costs and changing even a window size is a job with two to three foot thick cut stone. The building is protected under the historic sites act anyways. It has one fabulous clock on the peak that is still kept running most years. The hanging chamber is two stories high I have heard. A portion of the second and third stories.

The last two people hanged in town occurred in 1939. They had killed an old lady for a few dollars and the residents where really upset. So the officials hung the pair in a large tree outside the building. Apparently there were throngs of people present for the executions. They had carved their initials in a cars wooden steering wheel at some earlier period. A friend of mine got it at a yard sale or some other simple way I cannot remember. He was astute enough to recognize the combination of initials as being those two.

Now if you want violet painful executions you are in the right province here. Louisburg, Nova Scotia was a French outpost from the very early days. Young guys came from France to seek their fortunes and return home. That early if not first town also had an impressive military barracks. It still stands in a restored or duplicated condition. I have a feeling the whole town is a reproduction basically. If so it took a lot of money to do and years as well.

If a person commited a pretty simple crime there You where tied to a horizontal wheel. The executioner took a bar of iron and broke your limbs and rib cage.. If the offence was not too serious he then put you to death. .

If a more serious crime you were just left to slowly expire on the wheel after the iron bar treatment. The practice apparently was only discontinued when the court could no longer find a person to act as the executioner.

The judge even ordered the army contingent to do it. They refused either initially or not too long after. Like the French justice system back in France the judge was probably both the prosecution and defence. Napolion is credited with inventing the justice system but it got tweaked somewhat over the years.

The place is now a restored village basically and national park. You cannot drive a car close but instead take a dedicated bus into the site. They have people employed seasonally as residents in costume living as the people there once did.

One nice young lady working there asked me if she could help. So I asked her where the house of ill repute was and also was the wheel still represented on the site.

I was informed pleasantly with a smile that she did not know where the house I mentioned was as she had never worked in that building. Adding that they were not to talk about the wheel. With a little prodding she fessed up that she was all too well aware of it though.

I doubt anyone would be in the mood to have any type of last supper when faced with the wheel. I never dug deeply into the issue but figure crime was not much of a problem there. The horrific deterant would give you nightmares. Having you head chopped off is almost a walk in the park by comparison in my mind.

Perhaps the losing your head over a women expression originated from the French justice system as well.

Apparently Indiana has a death penalty but has only executed ten in ten years. Apparently it is not sought often.

MTI · #14 03-12-2015, 05:09 PM

The song "Indiana Wants Me" probably scared the dickens out of the citizens.

spdrun · #15 03-12-2015, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Would be much more fun if we could tell them they would be executed tomorrow and the next morning, walk them to the place of execution and at the last minute say "just kidding". On a random day, really execute them. Keep them guessing when it will come.

I think they do almost the same thing in Japan. Convicts aren't told until the morning of the deed, and can be kept waiting for decades. Imagine waking up every morning for 30 years not knowing whether they'd open your door and take you to be shot that day.