Dead Man Eating? Death Row Chicken Wing Requests

Many of us have played this game which has many variations but a simple theme: if you were trapped on desert island what would you bring? What is the one thing in the world you can't live without? If you were going to die, what would be your last meal?

What happens if that wasn't a game and you did have to chose your final meal? The website "DeadManEating.com" looks at our curiosity of death and food and found out what inmates on death row ordered for their final meal. Allowed to order whatever they want, the website also details these inmates crimes and their final words. Here are a few examples of some of those final request that included chicken wings in their last supper.

WARNING: there is a reason some of these individuals were on death row. Reader Discretion is Advised

OHIO JOSEPH CLARK
May 2, 2006

"...the nearly 90 minutes it took Ohio to execute Clark is believed to be the second-longest lethal injection on record....."

Last Meal: Clark had a final "special meal" request of jumbo shrimp; a T-bone steak with A-1 steak sauce; fried chicken wings, Frenchch fries; dinner rolls; cherry pie; and Pepsi.

The skinny: Clark, 57, was executed for killing a gas station clerk during a spree of robberies in 1984 in which he also killed a convenience store worker. Clark was executed following a delay of more than an hour because of unprecedented difficulty administering the lethal injection. Last words and such: Clark calmly but tearfully proceeded to give the longest final statement a lethal injection inmate has given.

In his final statement, Clark said, "I would like to tell them young brothers and sisters also all over the world, do not let drugs ruin your life, ruin your body, and destroy your mind. Today my life is being taken because of drugs. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword." After a long speech in which he thanked his family and friends, apologized to his victims families, and preached against the dangers of drugs, Clark quoted from the Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream" speech in declaring himself: "Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, I am free at last." Clark made a final statement apologizing to his victims' families and saying "I would like to say to family and friends that I didn't get to talk to, ... that was wondering how I felt, I would like them to know that I asked God to forgive me, that I asked the Lord to save me from my sins. And I asked God to forgive those who are participating in this here today."

INDIANA
ALAN LEHMAN MATHENEY
September 28, 2005

...prison officials do not want inmates to consume too much the day of the execution ...

Last Meal: For his special meal he had chicken wings, a fried chicken dinner, large wedges of potatoes, corn on the cob, biscuits and a chocolate shake. The special dinner is prepared at a local restaurant. It is not called the last meal since it is served a day or two ahead of time. That's because prison officials do not want inmates to consume too much the day of the execution, much like a doctor asks patients not to eat before surgery.

The skinny: Matheney, 54, one of the most notorious killers on Indiana's Death Row, was executed by lethal injection for beating murder his ex-wife with a rifle butt while on an eight-hour furlough from the Correctional Industrial Facility. Matheney burst into the victim's home, caught her as she tried to run away and struck her in the head with a rifle so hard the weapon broke.

Last words and such: "I love my family and my children. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused them. I thank my friends who stood by me . . . I'm sure my grandchildren will grow up happy and healthy in the care of their wonderful parents," Matheney said in a final statement read by his lawyer, Steven Schutte

NORTH CAROLINA
SAMMY CRYSTAL PERKINS
October 8, 2004

...these are the ones that keep you up at night....

Last Meal: Two fried chicken breasts, two fried chicken wings, sweet potato pie, a large order of French fries from McDonald's, a 20 ounce Coke and a cup of ice.

The skinny: Perkins was executed for the 1992 rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl.

Last words and such: "I would like to say I love my mother, all my brothers and sisters and all my children. I'll see ya'll on the other side."

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NORTH CAROLINA
RAYMOND ROWSEY
January 9, 2004

Last Meal: Rowsey had his last meal of pizza, chicken wings, two packages of peanut M&M candy and a Pepsi.

The skinny: Rowsey, 32, was executed for the 1992 pistol slaying of a convenience store clerk that prosecutors said was carried out for the thrill of killing.

Last words and such: Rowsey made no last statement, but his family told reporters afterward that he was innocent.Rowsey's wife, whom he married while in prison, and his mother sobbed as they watched the execution.Rowsey defense lawyer James Payne said his client "asked us to tell you that he died in peace with no hatred in his heart, and nothing but love for his brother."

TEXAS
CHRISTOPHER BLACK, SR.
July 9, 2003

Last Meal: Steak (medium well), fried chicken (wings and thighs), french fries with mushroom gravy, mixed steamed vegetables, chocolate fudge cake, peach cobbler, sweet tea, bread, chef salad with Italian dressing.

The skinny: Black was executed for killing his 17-month-old step-granddaughter. He also killed his wife and his 5-month-old daughter. Black was convicted of killing the child at the Killeen home of his estranged wife, the toddler's grandmother. She was found slumped in a high chair. She had been shot five times in the chest. Her grandmother was shot 10 times. Black's daughter was shot once. "I ran out of bullets," Black told a 911 operator he called after the attack. Black was charged, but never tried, in the slayings of his wife and daughter.

Final words and such: Asked by the warden if he wanted to make a final statement, Black Sr., said no.



OKLAHOMA
LAST MEALJOHN HOOKER
March 25, 2003


Last Meal: three chicken breasts and three chicken wings from KFC, broccoli spears with cheese sauce, a baked potato with sour cream and chives, two bacon cheeseburgers, two slices of cherry cheesecake and two 7-Ups.

The Skinny: Hooker was executed for stabbing his girlfriend and her mother to death. Hooker was executed almost 15 years after the stabbing. The mother of his three young children, had moved out of the Oklahoma City apartment she shared with Hooker a week before the murders. She had told her sister she feared Hooker would hurt her and the children. She was right.

Shoody Work: In 2001, officials re-examined DNA evidence in Hooker's case because it originally had been handled by Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist. Investigators retested DNA evidence submitted in all of Gilchrist's cases after officials accused her of performing shoddy work. Results of the retesting, however, showed that blood from Stokes and Morgan was found on Hooker's pants.

Last Words and Such: As the curtains in the death chamber were drawn, Hooker smiled at those who came to witness on his behalf. "To all my family and friends, I'm all hooked up," he said. "I can't even move. I'm at peace. Y'all stay up. I'm out."

So what would I order for my last meal?

-banquet burger, t-bone steak, potato skins, Caesar salad, poutine, cheese and garlic loaf,
fries, onion rings, pizza, nova scotia donair
-cherry coke to drink
-New York style cherry cheese cake, deep-fried Mars bar, butterscotch pie for desert
- and of course, lots and lots of chicken wings. As hot as I can have it. I want my mouth burning, reminding me about life.

What would you order?
put your response in comments or e-mail ~ praxis_industries@hotmail.com

Check out DeadManEating.com to find out more about the last meals of inmates.