In Texas, death row inmates used to choose their final meal, anything they wanted. But one man made a request so extreme that it ended the tradition for good.
That man was Lawrence Russell Brewer, and his final meal request in 2011 sparked outrage across the nation. What he asked for and what he did with it changed the way executions are carried out in Texas forever.
A Meal Fit for a King, But With a Catch
Brewer was set to be executed for a hate crime in 1998. On the day of his execution, he ordered a final meal that was practically a feast:
- Two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions
- A triple-bacon cheeseburger
- A cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños
- A bowl of fried okra with ketchup
- One pound of barbecued meat
- Half a loaf of white bread
- Three fajitas
- A meat-lover’s pizza
- A pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream
- A slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts
- And a root beer.
The kitchen staff prepared all of it. But when the tray arrived, Brewer didn’t eat a single bite. He reportedly said he “wasn’t hungry.” Word quickly spread about Brewer’s untouched meal. Many saw it as a final act of defiance, a cruel joke at taxpayers’ expense.
State Senator John Whitmire was especially outraged. In a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,
he wrote:
It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege, one which the victims did not receive.
Whitmire demanded that the special meal tradition end immediately. The prison system agreed. From that day forward, Texas became the first U.S. state to ban customized final meals for death row inmates. Now, they receive the same food served to all other prisoners that day, no substitutions.
A Tradition That Died With a Joke
The “last meal” tradition had been part of Texas executions for decades. Some inmates had chosen simple meals like fried chicken or tacos. Others asked for nothing. But Brewer’s request was different, not just for its size, but for the statement it made.
By refusing to eat it, he sparked debate far beyond the prison walls. Was it a form of protest? A final laugh? Or just a way to waste money? Whatever the reason, his actions erased a tradition that many believed offered a small act of dignity before death.
More than a decade later, Brewer’s stunt is still remembered as one of the most bizarre moments in Texas prison history.
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