Last Supper No More

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice will no longer honor special last-meal requests from death row inmates – a new policy prompted by a complaint from state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, who was perturbed by the last request of Lawrence Brewer, the admitted racist who was among a trio of men responsible for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. in 1998. Brewer ordered two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions; a triple patty cheeseburger; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños; a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; a pound of barbecue with bread; fajitas; and Blue Bell ice cream. TDCJ reports that, as has been its practice, Brewer was provided "some" of his request but "not in the quantity requested" and that Brewer didn't eat.

"It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege" as a choice of last meal, Whitmire wrote in an indignant missive to Brad Livingston, TDCJ's executive director, "one which the perpetrator did not provide to their victim." In a four-sentence reply, Livingston agreed and said that from now on inmates headed to execution will be served the same meal as all other offenders.