I am sorry that my acts of self-defense ended up in court like this in the realm of life's most solemn moments the desires of a Dying individual hold a weighty significance but what happens when these wishes emerge from the confines of a prison cell at this moment John Henry DZ is in his cell probably with the spiritual councel and his attorney where the Spectre of impending execution looms I'm not the person they try to portray me to be you know what I mean I'm just like anyone else I just messed up messed up bad you know what I mean join us as we explore the minds of these criminals and what they asked the last time before their final breath William George bonan William George bonan who was nicknamed freeway killer did some truly horrific stuff he kidnapped sexually abused robbed and murdered 14 teenage boys he had some other guys who helped him out guys who were between 17 and 21 years old in 1982 he was sentenced to death for 10 of the murders he committed in Los Angeles County then a year later he got another death sentence for the other four murders he committed in Orange County but wait there's more Bonin was also suspected of killing other guys around the same time in Kern Riverside San Diego and San Bernardino counties however bonan was never charged for those crimes now let's give you a rundown of what happened in each County where he got the death sentence on August 5th 1979 bonan and his gang attacked Marcus grabs a 17-year-old German student in Newport Beach they did some awful things to him and stabbed him 77 times they left his body near a road in Malibu with an orange cord around his head and wire around his ankle then on August 27th in 1979 bonan and his buddy butts picked up a 15-year-old named Donald heyen in Angeles they killed him strangled him with a ligature and stabbed him they even tried to cut off his private parts and slash his throat on September 9th of the same year Bonin and buts abducted a 17-year-old named David Millo as he was biking to the movies they left his naked body on a Ventura Highway offramp 3 days later they bashed his head in sodomized him and strangled him with a ligature then on February 3rd 1980 Bonin was driving a van with another guy named Miley they picked up a 15-year-old named Charles Miranda and did horrible things to him they wrapped Charles shirt around his neck Twisted it with a jack handle until he died and even put something in his anus they dumped his body in an alley in downtown Los Angeles after that they met a 12-year-old named James mcabe they invited him into the van had sex with him and then beat him strangled him and crushed his neck with a jack handle they left his body next to a dumpster in Walnut there were more victims in Los Angeles County like Ronald Gatlin who was 19 and Harry Todd Turner who was 14 they suffered the same fate beating sodomizing and strangling in Orange County Bonin picked up a 16-year-old named Steven Wood and defiled him they left his body in an alley near the Pacific Coast Highway and Long Beach freeway bonan was finally executed on February 23rd 1996 by lethal injection in and Quenton state prison on his last day he spent time with friends and had a final meal of two big pepperoni and sausage pizzas three pints of coffee ice cream and three sixpacks of regular Coca-Cola before his execution he said something to the warden he believed the death penalty wasn't the answer and that it sent the wrong message to young people he suggested that anyone thinking of doing something serious against the law should go to a quiet place and seriously think about it John Henry Ramirez as the deadly lethal injection flowed through John Henry Ramirez's veins on that gloomy Wednesday night Pastor Dana Moore placed his hands on the chest of the Texas death row inmate his prayer was so warming and filled the air as Ramirez was executed in Huntsville in a small room known as the death chamber that marked the end of a murder case from 2004 that garnered national attention Ramirez was convicted in 2004 for the murder than 30 8-year-old Castro in Corpus Christie Texas he was only 20 years old when he brutally stabbed the convenience store clerk 29 times leaving him to die in a parking lot while he fled with $1. 2 Ramirez managed to evade arrest by escaping to Mexico until he was captured in 2008 and subsequently sentenced to death on March 2021 the Supreme Court ruled that Ramirez's Pastor could touch him and pray during the execution Ramirez who claimed to have undergone a spiritual transformation while on death row had requested that Moore feel my heart and feel when I transition as he had told the Washington Post in 2021 on Wednesday October 2022 Ramirez's request was granted just before his death at 6:41 p. m.
Ramirez expressed appreciation to the family of Pablo Castro the father of nine whom he had fatally stabbed almost two decades ago for their attempts to communicate with him according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Ramirez said I tried to reply back but there is nothing that I could have said or done that would have helped you during his time on death row Ramirez met Moore and other members of the Second Baptist Church despite being a Messianic Jew Ramirez became a member of the church as reported by the post Ramirez's execution had initially been scheduled for September 8th 2021 1 he had requested that Moore be present to pray and lay his hands on him however Texas officials stated that although Moore could be present during the execution he would not be allowed to touch the inmate on the night of his planned execution in 2021 as Ramirez waited in a holding room the justices halted the procedure writing for the majority Chief Justice John Roberts Jr stated that Ramirez's religious rights were protected by federal law Roberts added that Texas should be able to accommodate the inmate's request emphasizing that allowing the spiritual adviser to stand closer and touch a part of the prisoner's body away from the IV line would not significantly increase the risk Justice Clarence Thomas was the sole denter suggesting that Ramirez was attempting to delay his execution Castro's family agreed with Thomas expressing in an amicus brief to the court that Pablo Castro's children and victims of violent crime Across the Nation deserve better after the Court ruled in favor of Ramirez a new execution date was set for October 5th 2022 however an employee in the office of NES County district attorney Mark Gonzalez mistakenly filed a request for a new execution date without consulting Gonzalez who opposes the death penalty 2 Days Later Gonzalez submitted a request to withdraw the death warrant in an unprecedented move a judge denied the motion as Ramirez's attorney Seth ketzer informed the post in a final attempt Gonzalez and ketzer filed a motion last week to withdraw the warrant but it was denied on Wednesday morning Ramirez was transported from the palansky unit in Livingston to the Huntsville Unit A 44m Journey upon arrival he remained in a holding cell until 6:00 p. m. when he was led to the execution chamber according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst 11 Witnesses five represented the victim and six supporting Ramirez observed through a window as the inmate took his final breaths Hurst stated Castro's son Aaron read a Bible verse that asked who is a God Like You Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance Castro expressed in his victim statement peace and love and justice for Pablo G Castro may his name not be forgotten and may God have mercy on John Henry Ramirez for it is not up to us he is receiving his true judgment from our Lord and savior a life taken away is not something to celebrate but closure can certainly take place inside the death chamber Ramirez expressed remorse for his heinous act and hoped that his death would bring some comfort to Castro's family his final words were just know that I fought a good fight and I'm ready to go I am ready Warden Moore's hands remained on Ramirez's chest until the inmate was declared dead according to officials Jean hathorne this guy wiped his entire family from the surface of the Earth the tragic incident that happened in the year 1984 is such that Humanity never prays to witness it again it was a story that twisted and turned delving into the darkest corners of human behavior with Jean hathorne as the Daredevil an evil tale filled with Family Violence murder deceit and an unexpected final request that would send shivers down your spine Jean hathorne driven by a Sinister plan conspired alongside his accomplice James Lee James bethard to eliminate members of his own family but what was their motive a substantial $150,000 property settlement little did they know that their scheme would unravel in unimaginable ways and send them to their early Graves their victims were none other than hathor's own father Jean senior his wife Linda and their innocent teenage son Marcus the murderers believed that by eliminating them they would clear the path to their desired inheritance but fate had a wicked twist in store for them unknown to them Jean senior had changed his will cutting G out of the picture entirely in a desperate attempt to deflect suspicion Jean hathorne cunningly scattered African-American human hairs and left cigarette butts near the crime scene it was a calculated effort to mislead lead investigators but their Dark Secrets couldn't remain hidden forever the truth slowly unraveled revealing hathor's involvement in the heinous acts that had shattered his own family the trial that followed was a gripping courtroom drama with hathorne desperately pointing fingers at his accomplice James Lee beard he claimed that beard alone was responsible for the brutal killings while he himself had only fired a single shot through a window bethard in a separate trial maintained his innocence Until the End facing his own fate but hathorne defiant and unyielding continued to Proclaim his innocence his legal team argued that the abuse he had endured from his father had fueled his deep-seated hatred for his family placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of his Tormentor the case took on a new dimension exploring the complex dynamics of family violence and the far-reaching consequences it can have however what set hathor's case apart was his bizarre and Bone chilling final request as the possibility of execution loomed over him and he was sure he couldn't make it any longer he made a haunting plea he requested that his body be turned into fish food and fed to goldfish as part of a maab art installation never before has an inmate asked for his body to be turned into fish food and fed to goldfish all in the name of art but that is exactly what jean hathorne a convicted murderer on death row in Texas has pledged to do if his final appeal fails the artist Marco everti was enlisted to carry out this Twisted plan freezing hathor's body and transforming it into a grotesque Feast for unsuspecting goldfish yet fate intervened once again hathor's appeal succeeded and his sentence was changed to three life terms of imprisonment his grotesque request faded into the annals of Darkness never to be realized unless fate casts another Dark Shadow but we believe that even the skillful artist would not want to Grant such a request Thomas Douglas Arthur Douglas Arthur also known as Tommy was the scapegoat over a very long and Tangled legal Saga that ended with his execution his story is filled with pain as it revolves around allegations of a contract killing and his unwavering claim of Innocence let's delve into the key elements of his case Thomas Arthur 's legal Journey began with his conviction for the 192 murder of Troy Wicker in musle scholes Alabama the case took a Sinister turn when it came to light that Judy wicker Troy's wife had accused Arthur of carrying out the murder she claimed to have paid him $10,000 to kill her husband due to an extramarital affair adding to the complexity of Arthur's criminal history was his previous conviction in 1917 for the murder of his sister-in-law in Maran County Arthur openly admitted to this crime but vehemently denied any involvement in Troy Wicker's death his attorney suggested that Judy wicker had falsely accused Arthur in an attempt to avoid the death penalty and secure the possibility of parole Thomas Arthur's legal Journey was filled with twists and turns his initial conviction for Troy Wicker's murder was overturned as was a subsequent conviction however in 1991 Arthur was convicted for the third time and this conviction stood throughout the years he steadfastly maintained his innocence despite the weight of evidence against him what makes Arthur's case particularly painful is the number of times he faced scheduled executions only to have them stayed at the last moment he seemed like a legal Houdini narrowly escaping the ultimate punishment time and time again as the final execution date approached in May 2017 Thomas Douglas Arthur shocked the criminal justice system with a request he accepted his impending fate but asked not to be executed by lethal injection citing a debilitating back injury that would intensify his suffering he argued that lethal injection would be more painful instead he made an unconventional plea to be executed by firing squad believing it would cause less Agony given his physical condition that's one of the crazy most disturbing last wishes of death row inmates that the court witnessed however the court did not approve this disturbing request in May 26 2017 at the age of 75 Thomas Douglas Arthur was executed by lethal injection in Alabama bringing an end to a legal Saga that had spanned over three decades his case stands as a haunting example of the complexities and controversies surrounding the death penalty in the United States from multiple convictions to lastminute appeals and a final request that challenged conventional execution methods it remains a painful chapter in the history of Criminal Justice Frank Atwood his deformity was no exception to consider him for survival the somber and haunting story of Frank Atwood's execution unfolds with a mix of chilling details and emotional moments at 66 years old Atwood met his fate through lethal injection for the murder of 8-year-old Vicky Lynn hoskinson a crime that shocked Tucson Arizona in the year 1984 and left lingering sense of grief and loss Vicky Lynn had vanished while riding her bicycle to mail a birthday card to her aunt the community was gripped with fear and sorrow until her body was discovered 7 months later in the desolate expanse of the Arizona desert the heinous act was so unbearable for Vicky Lynn's loved ones as the day of Atwood's execution approached he sat down for his final meal a moment that would be seared into the memories of those involved in a PEC F your choice he took some peanut butter and salami accompanied by mustard wheat bread and tortilla chips it was a choice meal that defied understanding leaving observers to wonder about the reason for making the selection at such a critical point in his life Atwood had initially refused a final meal claiming to be fasting but ultimately succumbed to the unconventional combination moments before his death on June 8th 2022 Atwood's words read resonated in the solemn chamber he thanked the priest for providing spiritual guidance acknowledging the role of faith in his final moments his plea to God for Mercy echoed throughout the room a plea that carried with it a profound sense of desperation and the weight of his actions the execution commenced at 4 minutes 10 a.
m. a solemn and chilling moment that would Mark the end of Atwood's life according to prison officials he appeared to accept his fate neither apologized oling for his crime nor expressing remorse in his last words the lethal injection flowed through his veins and 12 minutes later Atwood was pronounced dead outside the Prison Walls friends and neighbors of the hoskinson family gathered offering their support and Solace for them the execution symbolized a step towards closure a way to honor Vicky Lynn's memory and find some semblance of peace throughout his legal battles Atwood had staunchly maintained his innocence and his lawyers had made numerous unsuccessful attempts to halt his execution despite his degenerative spinal condition which had left him confined to a wheelchair Atwood's arguments against the constitutionality of the death penalty procedures were ultimately overruled by US District Judge Michael labori subscribers pick lost in the pixels of this emotional photo that marked the last days of Mark Mark sits on the execution chair his face filled with anguish and Desperation wishing he could rewrite the hand of time standing before him as his beloved wife her expression was a mix of sorrow and empathy as well she never knew a day like this could beckon on her as the execution chair looms what could Mark possibly be revealing to her in his last moments well he said something so mindblowing but to him it's a dream come true even as he gently relaxes his body waiting for his last breath Mark is not the only dying inmate to make his last wish you'll find out more about the most disturbing last wishes of death row inmates but please we want to know what you think about their painful requests share your thoughts in the comments section James Edward Smith James Edward Smith a name that would forever be etched in the annals of Crime and Punishment shaking the prison bars he was a man condemned for his heinous act of capital murder in the Heart of Texas but it wasn't just the severity of his crime that captured attention it was his strange and unsettling last meal request that sent shock waves through the corridors of Justice Smith a man shrouded in darkness asked for something that defied comprehension a lump of dirt the events unfolded on a fateful day March 7th 1983 when Smith boldly walked into the Union National Life Insurance Company in Houston concealed behind a chilling stocking mask and armed with a gun he approached the teller's window his intentions were clear as he demanded all the money his eyes gleaming with a Sinister determination when the teller bravely resisted seeking Refuge behind a filing cabinet Smith's attention turned to Larry Don rojus the company's district manager a man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time rojus perhaps sensing the impending danger complied with Smith's demands money exchanged hands hastily stuffed into a plastic bag but fate had a cruel twist in store as rojus tried to retreat seeking a moment of respit from the harrowing ordeal Smith's grip tightened he ordered rojus back to the window where their lives intersected in a chilling exchange desperation filled the air as rojus pleaded for Mercy desperately removing a bracelet from his wrist and then in an instant the shots rang out piercing The Silence with a thunderous Force Rus struck by a bullet in the chest crumpled to the ground his life extinguished forever Smith consumed by his own dark desires fled the scene leaving chaos and shattered lives in his wake but he couldn't outrun the Relentless pursuit of Justice two Brave office workers chased him through fields and into an apartment complex their hearts pounding with adrenaline Smith cornered and desperate turned to violence once more opening fire on those who dared to bring him to Justice in a twist of fate he stumbled amid the chaos falling to the unforgiving ground the pursuing crowd fueled by a mix of rage and Justice subdued him while a Vigilant detective swiftly handcuffed him the trial that followed showed how committed the community is to Seeking Justice Smith's fate was sealed and the Spectre of death loomed over him however it was his peculiar request that Drw the attention of the world in the face of imminent execution Smith longed for a lump of dirt the Texas Department of Criminal Justice refusing to Grant his request denied him this Final Act of defiance instead he was offered a simple meal from the prison's regular menu when the day arrived his mother's attorneys driven by desperation and a flicker of Hope beseeched the Supreme Court of the United States to spare his life arguing his mental incompetence the court Court in an unexpected twist accepted the appeal granting a stay of execution nevertheless the Saga was far from over 2 years later the Final Act was set to unfold Smith rejecting any further appeals stood defiant yearning for release from the Prison Walls that had become his personal Purgatory his mother undeterred by previous failures launched another appeal pleading for Mercy insisting on his mental incompetence but the Supreme Court This Time unmoved by her pleas denied the appeal leaving Smith with no escape from his impending fate June 26th 1990 marked the culmination of a dark chapter in Texas history Smith now a mere shell of a man was led to the execution chamber at the infamous Huntsville Unit as the Clock Struck 12:31 a. m.