Death row inmates in one state now banned from requesting final meal after one man’s controversial decision
ArchiveFirst published May 21, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
In 2011, Texas banned death row inmates from requesting a final meal—an abrupt end to a decades-old tradition. The decision came after convicted murderer Lawrence Russell Brewer made an excessive meal request, only to refuse it entirely.
Brewer, a white supremacist, was sentenced to death for the 1998 hate crime killing of James Byrd Jr., an African American man. Along with two accomplices, Brewer brutally beat Byrd and dragged him behind a truck, leading to his horrific death. The crime sparked national outrage.
Before his execution, Brewer requested an enormous meal—chicken-fried steaks, a triple-meat cheeseburger, barbecue, pizza, fajitas, dessert, and root beer—but ate nothing. This waste angered lawmakers and prison staff.
Texas Senator John Whitmire led the push for the ban. “He never gave his victim an opportunity for a last meal,” Whitmire said. “Why treat him like a celebrity before execution?”
Since then, Texas death row inmates receive the standard prison meal—no exceptions. The move was widely seen as a response to ensure justice isn’t mocked in its final hour.
