RICHMOND, VA – A man’s unique endeavor to recreate and review the final meals of well-known death row inmates has gone viral. Josh Slavin, a 23-year-old college graduate, embarked on this mission which entails purchasing ingredients, making the meals, and sampling them himself. He then shares his experiences and rankings of the meals through a series of videos on his Instagram account.
Since September 1, Slavin has posted 26 videos reviewing the last meals of infamous serial killers, such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. Each video features Slavin heading to the grocery store, procuring the necessary ingredients, cooking the meals, and ultimately rating them based on taste, quantity, and quality.
In a statement to Fox News, Slavin expressed his fascination with the rare human circumstance of being able to choose a final meal before facing death. He described the experience as “fascinating” and went on to rate each meal on a chart that he created.
One of his first reviews was of Ted Bundy’s final meal. Bundy, who was sentenced to death for the murder of numerous young women, did not make a specific request, so he was given a “default” meal by the state of Florida. Slavin found the meal to be delicious and gave it an average C rating.
Similarly, Slavin also reviewed the last meal of John Wayne Gacy, known as the “serial killer clown,” who murdered 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. Gacy’s request included fried shrimp, fried chicken, strawberries, and a glass of Diet Coke, which Slavin rated as “great.”
Slavin continued to analyze the final meals of several other notorious inmates, such as Ricky Ray Rector, Ronnie Lee Gardner, and Steven Michael Woods, each of whose meals he rated and reviewed.
Rector, a 42-year-old Arkansas man jailed for two counts of murder, requested a surf-and-turf meal with lobster tail, steak, pecan pie, and cherry Kool-Aid. Gardner, on the other hand, requested a specific meal of steak and lobster, along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy as entertainment. Woods, convicted for his involvement in the slayings of two people in north Texas, requested a massive meal comprising bacon, fried chicken, steaks, burgers, pizza, and various drinks.
The viral videos have garnered widespread attention for Slavin, who continues to provide a unique perspective on the last meals of notorious death row inmates.
Slavin’s mission has stirred discussions about the quirkiness and human aspect of final meal requests, bringing insights into the lives and choices of individuals facing execution. His ranking of these last meals has sparked curiosity and conversation around this unusual aspect of capital punishment. Overall, his venture has drawn significant interest, provoking new perspectives on this lesser-known part of the justice system.