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The Ritual Of Death Row's 'Last Meal'

Jonathon Kambouris

For his last meal, John Wayne Gacy requested 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of original recipe KFC, french fries, and 1lb of strawberries. Gary Gilmore was served steak, potatoes, milk and coffee. Timothy McVeigh asked for two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Victor Feguer asked only for a single pitted olive. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were not given a choice.

Brent Cunningham is deputy editor of the Columbia Journalism Review and he wrote about the history of prisoner’s last meals for Lapham’s Quarterly.

Related:

The Last Meals Project is a collection of mug shots from executed criminals accompanied by a list of what they requested for their last meals. Photographer Jonathan Kambouris is behind the eery and fascinating site.

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