This Inmate’s Final Meal Request Was Too Hot to Handle – What Happens Next Will Shock You!

One of the most chilling requests ever made on death row left prison staff in Texas feeling deeply unsettled. James Edward Smith, a 37-year-old convicted murderer, was executed on April 5, 1984. Smith’s story is particularly odd, not only for his crime but for the unusual last meal he asked for.

Smith, a former taxi driver, was convicted of killing a life insurance company’s district manager. When it came time for his last meal, Smith did not ask for food. Instead, he requested rhaeakunda dirt, which he believed would be key to a voodoo ritual. Practicing these rituals while imprisoned, Smith was convinced that consuming the dirt at the time of his death would help him in his reincarnation. When prison officials denied his request, he ominously threatened to haunt the prison for the next 300 years.

This peculiar request occurred at a time when Texas still allowed condemned prisoners to select their last meal, a practice that ended in 2011. The decision to stop allowing last meal requests followed public outrage over the extravagant choices made by inmates like Lawrence Russell Brewer. According to the Express US, Brewer, who was on death row for a racially motivated murder, ordered an overwhelming meal: two chicken fried steaks, a triple bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover’s pizza, a pint of ice cream, and peanut butter fudge. Despite the large order, Brewer reportedly didn’t eat a single bite.

Stories like these have gained renewed attention thanks to TikTok star Josh Slavin, who has amassed over 607,000 followers with his unusual hobby—recreating and taste-testing the last meals of death row inmates. Slavin admits that his fascination with these final meals is “weird,” but it hasn’t stopped him from diving deep into the macabre tradition.

Slavin, a 22-year-old from Washington D.C., turned his early curiosity into a full-fledged online project. He explained to the Daily Star, “It prompted me to look deeper into what people had actually selected when forced to choose, and I thought it would be interesting to explore these meals and the stories behind them. I’ve been very fortunate that my audience has found this series to be compelling, and that I also happen to really enjoy the process of creating these videos as well!”

In recreating these meals, Slavin has come across some unsettling stories. One that particularly stands out to him is the tale of James Edward Smith. Slavin shared, “I wouldn’t say any of the meals have freaked me out per se, but some of the stories attached to them are a little bit unsettling. I think the most unique story behind a meal was that behind the selection of James Edward Smith. This dirt was supposed to be a vital element for a Voodoo ritual he was trying to complete so he could pass into the afterlife, but because the prison denied this request, he was unable to perform this ritual. He warned the prison officials that by not granting his wish, he intended to haunt the jail for 300 years. Talk about giving someone the creeps!”

One of Slavin’s most infamous recreations involved John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer known as “The Killer Clown,” who was executed in Illinois on May 10, 1994. Gacy’s last meal was just as notorious as the man himself—a feast of KFC, fried shrimp, fries, strawberries, and Diet Coke. Slavin recreated the meal and gave it an “A-tier” rating, remarking on how indulgent the spread was, though he stopped short of calling it the best final meal he’d tasted.

Slavin’s videos have struck a chord with people around the world, blending dark curiosity with food culture in a way that has fascinated hundreds of thousands. For many, these strange final meals and the stories behind them serve as a reminder of the eerie rituals that sometimes accompany the final moments of life on death row.