See the last meals of 12 infamous death row inmates in 2½ minutes
'No Seconds' recreates final requests of Timothy McVeigh, Ted Bundy, other killers
When the state of Texas abolished the customary practice of honoring the last meal requests of prisoners on death row, food photographer Henry Hargreaves decided to recreate the final meals ordered by some of America's most infamous killers before their executions.
"I wondered what people actually requested," Hargreaves told Yahoo News in a recent interview. "I thought it would be something really powerful to represent visually."
Hargreaves' images of the last meals ordered by death row inmates provide a fascinating, if chilling, peek into the minds — and appetites — of killers, including Timothy McVeigh, who requested two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream as his last meal.
The resulting project, a photo series called "No Seconds," debuted in 2010 but received renewed interest following botched executions in several states last year.
"It's a highly emotional topic and one that polarizes people," Hargreaves said. "It's been in the news a lot lately."
The photos themselves are not without controversy, either. Critics say their bright, colorful presentation softens the image of serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, who asked for 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of Original Recipe KFC, french fries and a pound of strawberries before his lethal injection.
Hargreaves says he understands the criticism.
"Sure, I get that," Hargreaves said. "I'm not saying these people are not terrible people. But I want the viewer to be able to see these inmates as people and not just statistics. I use food as that common denominator, and perhaps that's what is scary for the viewer — they feel a grain of empathy."
