A death row inmate has ruined the notorious tradition of last meal privilege in the US state of Texas.
Because of Lawrence Russell Brewer, the prisoners no longer had a full meal of their favorite food when they died.
Each state in the United States has its own specific rules regarding this traditional ritual, but within reason, inmates can choose almost any last meal they want to eat.
But in September 2011, Texas scrapped the 87-year-old tradition and stopped all special meal requirements.
Now, those who await their execution no longer have to taste the outside world, they can simply eat whatever food is on the menu that day of prison.
They have Brewer to thank for that – for his last meal so enraged ** that it ruined the lives of all the death row inmates in the state.
The 44-year-old is a white supremacist prisoner who was jailed with three other men, James Byrd JrDragged behind a pickup truck, dragged along the highway for three miles, brutally killed.
Brewer and accomplice John King, the first white man to be sentenced to death for killing a black man in modern Texas, their atrocities prompted the state to introduce new laws on hate crimes.
Another accomplice, Shawn Berry, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
On September 21, 2011, before his execution, Brewer was asked what he wanted to eat for his last meal.
And he obviously didn't pay attention to his waistline, so he really took advantage of the ritual.
According to a report published by the Houston Chronicle at the time, Brewer asked for a bowl of sautéed okra with tomato sauce, two portions of chicken steak with onions in gravy, and a fried egg with beef powder, jalapeno and bell pepper cheese.
But he wasn't resting on his laurels.
In addition to that, he wanted a three-tier bacon cheeseburger, three portions of Mexican barbecue, a pound of roast and half a loaf of white bread, a meat lover's special pizza, and a pint'Homemade vanilla'Bluebell ice cream, a piece of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts and three cups of root beer.
Because of Brewer, Texas abolished this 87-year-old tradition.
But when the meal – or the meal that approximates it – is set in front of him, he refuses to eat anything.
Brewer said he wasn't hungry and that the death row inmate's meal was thrown into the trash.
Senator John Whitmire of Texas is not taking this colossal waste lightly.
He asked the state jail** to end the nearly 90-year-old tradition of providing a last-of-a-meal option to condemned inmates.
As for Brewer, he proved himself to be a terrible person until the end.
The day before the execution, even though James Bird's family begged to spare his life, he told the news"As for regrets, no, I don't regret them.
No, to be honest, I'm willing to do it all over again"