In 12 out of the 19 states where capital punishment is legal, this is the case. Gary Carl Simmons Jr, a particularly vile individual, took full advantage of this by ordering a 29,000-calorie meal prior to his execution by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
In August 1996, Simmons, who worked as a grocery store butcher, brutally murdered 21-year-old Jeffrey Wolfe. Wolfe, along with his girlfriend, had traveled from Houston to Mississippi to collect a drug debt reported to be between $12,000 and $20,000.
Upon Wolfe’s arrival at the house, he was confronted by Simmons and his accomplice, Timothy Milano, who admitted they were unable to pay the debt.
This confrontation escalated, resulting in Milano shooting Wolfe fatally with a .22-caliber rifle. Meanwhile, the men captured Wolfe’s girlfriend, bound her, and locked her in a footlocker. Simmons later assaulted her.
Court documents revealed that Simmons threatened her, saying her survival depended on her sexual compliance, before placing her back into the box.
He then used his professional meat carving knives to dismember and gut Wolfe’s body in a bathtub, later disposing of the remains in an alligator-infested bayou.
Nearly two decades later, in June 2012, Simmons faced execution.
For his last meal, he requested an immense amount of food, enough to serve several people.
From Pizza Hut, his order included a medium Super Supreme Deep Dish pizza, double portion, with mushrooms, onions, jalapeño peppers, and pepperoni; and another pizza with regular portion, featuring three cheeses, olives, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and Italian sausage.
Additionally, he asked for 10 8-oz. packets of Parmesan cheese; 10 8-oz. packets of ranch dressing; one family-size pack of Doritos nacho cheese flavor; eight oz. of jalapeño nacho cheese; and four oz. of sliced jalapeños.
From McDonald’s, he ordered two large strawberry shakes; two 20-oz. cherry Cokes; a super-size order of fries with extra ketchup and mayonnaise; and two pints of strawberry ice cream.
It remains uncertain if he consumed the entirety of this meal, but 90 minutes before his execution, during a press conference at 4.45 p.m., the Department of Corrections indicated he had consumed about half of it, trying everything except the fries, as reported by a local blog.
So, how was he apprehended?
The woman he had confined in a footlocker managed to escape and reached a neighbor’s house, where she contacted the police.
Following his arrest, Simmons was found guilty in August 1997 of kidnapping, rape, and capital murder, and was subsequently sentenced to death.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, you can chat online via online.rainn.org