James Edward Smith was executed in 1984 for fatally shooting a life insurance firm’s district manager. While the murder was shocking, his final meal has gone down in history as the strangest one. Smith requested a pile of dirt, and that, for a very bizarre reason, left the prison staff uncomfortable.
On March 7, 1983, James Edward Smith went into the Union National Life Insurance Co. in Houston, Texas, to rob the place.
He told insurance agent Larry Rohus, 44, to turn over the money and put it in a plastic bag, which he did. But as the agent begged for his life, Smith shot him twice and killed him. He wore a mask and carried a gun.
The 37-year-old was caught, found guilty of capital murder, and was sentenced to death. He also confessed to having carried out six “ritualistic” murders; however, they could not be proven.
But while he was waiting to have his life ended, he scared hospital staff with his final meal wish.
On the night before he was set to receive his lethal injection, James Edward Smith asked for his final meal: A pile of rhaeakunda dirt, which is a type of dirt that is used in voodoo rituals.
Why James Edward Smith requested dirt for his final meal
There had been many strange requests among death row inmates about their last meal, but this one took the prize. Hospital staff were frightened about the last meal, and in the end, they didn’t provide it for him.
Per the Express, Smith had hoped for the lump of dirt as his last meal so he could perform a voodoo ritual believed to help him become reincarnated. However, as it wasn’t on the approved list of foods, it was denied.
In the last minute before he was set to be executed, James Edward Smith was granted a stay of execution. It was postponed for two years. The killer once again asked for the dirt for his last meal, but it was denied. Instead, he settled for plain yogurt.
In 1990, Smith, wearing the standard prison uniform of white pants and shirt, was executed by lethal injection. His last words were “Hare Krishna.”
Smith had once again asked for the execution to be postponed shortly before it was set to take place. and had to wait until just minutes before he was set to be killed to get the response. He denied his guilt in a statement.
Denied his guilt shortly before execution
“I’ve already spoken the truth, but because it was spoken by someone accused, the truth was not respected,’ Smith said in a final statement. “It must come from the man who spoke the lie. I am not the killer; I myself did not kill anyone. I go to my death without begging for my life. I will not humiliate myself. I will let no man break me. It just can’t be done.”
Per UPI, Assistant Attorney General Bob Walt told reporters he found it cruel that Smith’s fate remained uncertain up until the end.
“This probably was cruel and unusual punishment — the manner in which it was carried out because of the delay and making the person wait until the last minute to find out,” Walt said.
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