A human rights attorney has shared an astonishing story about how one of his ‘friends’ was deprived of his last meal before execution because it was deemed ‘bad for his health.’
It raises the question: what could possibly be requested for a last meal on Death Row that is considered so unhealthy that prison officials would refuse to serve it?
Common indulgences like a greasy burger or a deep-fried treat, such as those available in Scottish takeaways, come to mind.
However, what Nicholas Ingram asked for was outright denied—even though around 10% of Americans enjoy this particular choice.
Before delving into the specifics of his request, let’s explore who 31-year-old Ingram was and the crimes he committed in 1983.
Ingram, who held both British and American citizenship, was born in the UK and moved to the US at the age of one.
At 19, he committed murder, taking the life of JC Sawyer in Marietta, Georgia, and wounding Sawyer’s spouse.
After breaking into their Cobb County home, he took the couple to a wooded area behind the house, tied them to a tree with rope and wire, taunted them, and eventually shot them at close range, resulting in JC’s death while Mary survived against the odds.
Now, human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith has shared his insights with LADbible regarding the ‘revolting’ use of the electric chair and the ‘absurd’ rationale for initially denying Ingram his last meal request.
“I’ve lost six people over the years. The electric chair – just disgusting, that you put 2,400 volts of electricity through someone’s head.”
“You know Nicky Ingram? He and I were born in the same hospital, Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge, and I had to watch him die and I liked Nicky – we’d been friends for 12 years when they killed him.”
“At first, I mean… oh God, you know, they go through all that nonsense about last meals, and Nicky said ‘I don’t want a last meal because you’re about to kill me’ and he said ‘I want a last cigarette’, so I asked if they’d give him a last cigarette, and they say no because it’s bad for his health – and I say ‘you’ve got to be kidding me, you’re planning to kill this poor guy’.”
He went on to say: “So I went out and told the media and they [the prison] were humiliated by that, so they gave him a last cigarette, but then they shave his head and shave his legs and put you know 2,400 volts through him – it’s just disgusting.”
However, not everyone shared Smith’s perspective on Ingram’s fate.
One individual remarked on YouTube: “No mention that this guy murdered and attempted to murder another. While his victims were begging for their lives and he taunted them.”