Lynchburg, Virginia – A recent viral sensation has emerged in the form of a 23-year-old college graduate who has taken on the unusual task of recreating and reviewing the final meals of notorious death row inmates. Josh Slavin began his morbid mission on September 1, posting videos of each culinary endeavor on his Instagram account. The Virginia native has garnered attention for offering his ratings and reviews of the last meals of infamous killers such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy.
Slavin’s process involves heading to the grocery store to gather the necessary ingredients for a selected dish, returning home to cook and consume the meal, and then ranking it based on taste, quantity, and quality. In a conversation with Fox News, Slavin highlighted the unique aspect of being able to select a final meal before facing death as a rare and intriguing human circumstance. His videos have sparked conversation and debate over the ethical implications of indulging in the final meals of individuals convicted of heinous crimes.
One of Slavin’s first culinary analyses focused on the final meal of Ted Bundy, the notorious serial killer and rapist who confessed to the murder of 30 female college students in the 1970s. Bundy faced the death penalty after causing an unknown number of deaths, finally receiving execution on January 24, 1989. Despite not making a specific final meal request, the state of Florida provided him with a hearty meal that included steak, eggs, toast, hash browns, milk and juice. Slavin rated this meal an average C on his review chart.
Moving on to another notorious figure, Slavin provided an analysis of John Wayne Gacy’s final meal. Gacy, also known as the “serial killer clown,” was convicted of the murders of 33 young men and boys in the 1970s and was executed on May 10, 1994. For his final meal, Gacy requested one dozen fried shrimp, a side of fries, a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, one pound of strawberries, and a glass of Diet Coke, which Slavin gave an A rating.
Slavin’s reviews extended to analyzing the final meals of other convicted killers, such as Ricky Ray Rector, Ronnie Lee Gardner, Rhonda Belle Martin, and Steven Michael Woods. Each meal and its accompanying ratings have sparked conversations about the nature of final requests for individuals facing capital punishment.
The unusual nature of Slavin’s culinary experiment has brought attention to the fact that convicted criminals are allowed to make final meal requests, creating debate over the potential ethical considerations and implications of exploring such macabre subject matter. Nevertheless, Slavin’s videos have garnered significant interest, with viewers discussing the human aspects of final meal choices and their broader societal implications.
In conclusion, while Slavin’s venture into rating the final meals of infamous death row inmates has sparked curiosity and debate, the ethical considerations of such a practice continue to be a point of contention. Nonetheless, the attention his videos have garnered reflects the public’s ongoing fascination with the macabre and the controversial topic of capital punishment.