15 murderers’ infamous last words before being executed

The popular allure of murderers often lies not in the murders themselves, but in the mystique around their congenital defiance of societal norms. Individuals who push past all moral boundaries to fulfill their own desires stirs something in the human psyche.

Before their executions, the disturbed men and women in this article were granted one final opportunity to speak, to hopefully address their crimes and provide some kind of last bit of closure. Their last words, whether showing defiance or chilling indifference, have only helped their infamy.

Let’s start off on an upbeat note with a very familiar clown.

John Wayne Gacy Jr. aka Killer Clown

Gacy led a double life as a respected Chicago-area contractor and part-time party entertainer dressed as “Pogo the Clown,” while secretly murdering 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. He lured victims to his home with promises of work, then used a self-styled “magic trick” with hand cuffs to overpower them before torturing, raping, and killing them — typically by strangulation. Gacy buried 29 bodies in the crawlspace of his house. Cold, charismatic, and disturbingly remorseless, Gacy remained unrepentant to the end.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 33
• Method: Stabbing/Strangulation
• Date of Execution: May 10, 1994 (age 52)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “Kiss my ass.”

Peter Kürten aka The Vampire of Dusseldorf

Kürten was one of the most sadistic and psychologically complex killers in European criminal history. Active in late 1920s Germany, Kürten derived sexual pleasure from both the act of killing and the sight of his victims’ blood. His murders ranged from children to adults, carried out with knives, scissors, and hammers in seemingly random attacks that terrorized the city. What set him apart was his chilling self-awareness; after his arrest, he gave a calm, detailed confession, relishing the attention and analyzing his motives with eerie detachment.

• Crime: Murder / Sexual Assault
• Victims: 9+
• Method: Stabbing/Hammer
• Date of Execution: July 2, 1931 (age 48)
• Method of Execution: Decapitation by guillotine

Famous Last Words: “Tell me. After my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be a pleasure to end all pleasures.”

Aileen Wuornos

Her murders, committed between 1989 and 1990, were carried out under the guise of prostitution, where she would lure men into her car, rob them, and then shoot them. Wuornos claimed she killed in self-defense during attempted assaults, though the prosecution argued she was motivated by robbery and rage. Her life was marked by trauma, including a history of sexual abuse, homelessness, and struggles with mental health. Wuornos’s case garnered press after her execution in 2002 led feminists to argue that she was the real victim. Her story was then popularized in the film Monster with Charlize Theron.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 7
• Method: Pretense as prostitute, rob, and shoot
• Date of Execution: October 9, 2002 (age 46)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus, June 6th. Like the movie, big mother ship and all. I’ll be back.”

Robert Alton Harris

Robert Alton Harris was the first person executed in California after a 25-year moratorium, marking a return of the death penalty in the state. In 1978, Harris abducted two teenage boys in San Diego, forced them to drive to a remote area, and then executed them with a stolen pistol — reportedly laughing after the killings and eating their fast food while sitting in their car. His execution was delayed multiple times, including a last-minute stay that was overturned while he was already strapped into the gas chamber.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 2
• Method: Shooting
• Date of Execution: April 21, 1992 (age 39)
• Method of Execution: Gas Chamber

Famous Last Words: “You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the grim reaper.” (a quote from the film Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey)

Thomas J. Grasso

Thomas J. Grasso became infamous not just for his double murders — strangling an elderly woman with her own Christmas tree lights and later killing a second victim for money — but for his bizarre and petty final complaint. In his last statement, he criticized prison staff for botching his last meal: he had requested SpaghettiOs but was given spaghetti with meatballs instead. “I did not get my SpaghettiOs. I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this,” he said. The absurdity of his last words, juxtaposed with the brutality of his crimes, turned him into a macabre footnote in American death penalty lore and an example of the surreal theater of capital punishment.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 2
• Method: Strangulation
• Date of Execution: March 20, 1995 (age 32)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.”

Gary Burris

Gary Burris was convicted of the 1980 murder of a cab driver in Indianapolis. The victim was shot multiple times and left in an alley after a robbery that netted less than $50. Burris maintained his innocence throughout the trial and appeals process, claiming he was framed and that key witnesses had lied under pressure. He didn’t do nothin’ y’all. His execution was notable for its timing: he became the first person executed in Indiana after the state resumed capital punishment following a 20-year hiatus.

• Crime: Murder/Robbery
• Victims: 1
• Method: Shooting
• Date of Execution: November 20, 1997 (age 40)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “Beam me up.”

Manuel Pina Babbit aka Manny (US Marine Vet)

Manuel “Manny” Babbitt was a decorated Vietnam War veteran whose case drew national attention due to his severe PTSD and the controversial handling of his trial. He had been awarded a Purple Heart for his service but returned home psychologically shattered, exhibiting signs of combat trauma that went untreated. The murder he was convicted for (an elderly woman who died of a heart attack after a violent assault) occurred during what some argued was a psychotic break. His defense argued mental illness and wartime trauma, but the court rejected it. Despite pleas for clemency from veterans’ groups and even the victim’s family, Babbitt was executed on his 50th birthday. His case became a flashpoint in the debate over executing mentally ill and combat-scarred veterans.

• Crime: Murder/Burglary/Sexual Assault
• Victims: 1
• Date of Execution: May 4, 1999 (age 50)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “I forgive you all.”

Barbara Graham aka Bloody Babs

Barbara Graham became a media sensation during her trial and execution because of her glamorous appearance and turbulent life story. A former sex worker and petty criminal, she was convicted for the brutal murder of an elderly widow during a robbery gone wrong. Headlines painted her as both femme fatale and cold-blooded killer. Questions about her guilt and the fairness of her trial lingered, especially after revelations that parts of the prosecution’s case relied on dubious testimony. Her story inspired the 1958 film I Want to Live!, which portrayed her as a tragic figure.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 1
• Method: Pistol-whip/Suffocation
• Date of Execution: June 3, 1955 (age 31)
• Method of Execution: Gas Chamber

Famous Last Words: “Good people are always so sure they’re right.”

Edward Kelly aka Ned

Ned Kelly, Australia’s most infamous bushranger, became a folk hero to many for his defiance of British colonial authority and his outspoken critiques of police corruption. He famously crafted a crude but iconic suit of bulletproof armor out of plowshares, which he wore during his final shootout with police at Glenrowan. Despite being a convicted murderer, Kelly was seen by some as a rebel fighting for the rights of poor Irish settlers against a hostile establishment. His Jerilderie Letter (a 56-page manifesto dictated while on the run) reads like the wild, feverish blend of outlaw confession and political screed.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 6
• Method: Shooting
• Date of Execution: November 11, 1880 (age 25)
• Method of Execution: Hanging

Famous Last Words: “Such is life.”

Amelia Dyer

Amelia Dyer was one of the most prolific serial killers in British history while operating under the guise of a baby farmer — a person paid to care for unwanted infants in Victorian England. Exploiting the era’s lack of child welfare laws, Dyer advertised her services to desperate mothers, then murdered many of the infants shortly after taking them in, often by strangulation with tape. She moved frequently to avoid detection, but her downfall came when the body of a baby was found in the Thames with evidence tracing back to her.

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 6 confirmed, 400+ attributed (children)
• Method: Strangulation
• Date of Execution: June 10, 1896 (age 58)
• Method of Execution: Hanging

Famous Last Words: “I have nothing to say.”

William Bonin aka The Freeway Killer

The Freeway Killer terrorized Southern California in the late 1970s, abducting, raping, torturing, and murdering at least 21 boys and young men. Unusually for serial killers, he often had the help of accomplices. A former truck driver and Vietnam vet, Bonin used his van as a mobile torture chamber, dumping his victims’ bodies along freeways. He was previously incarcerated for sexual assault and was released despite psychological evaluations warning he was likely to kill. Bonin showed no remorse and treated his crimes with chilling detachment. He even played Monopoly with guards hours before his execution. His last meal included two pepperoni pizzas, ice cream, and Coca-Cola.

• Crime: Murder/Sodomy/Mayhem
• Victims: 21-36+
• Method: Strangulation
• Date of Execution: February 23, 1996 (age 49)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “I would suggest that when a person has a thought of doing anything serious against the law, that before they did that they should go to a quiet place and think about it seriously.”

Peter Manuel aka The Beast of Birkenshaw

The Beast of Birkenshaw was one of Scotland’s most notorious serial killers, responsible for a string of brutal murders between 1956 and 1958. What made Manuel particularly chilling was his brazen arrogance. After killing the Smart family, he stayed in their home for days, ate their food, and even walked their dog. He later represented himself at trial, cross-examining witnesses with a disturbing mix of charm and cold logic, dragging the proceedings into a theatrical display of ego. Despite overwhelming evidence, he insisted on proclaiming innocence for some murders while confessing to others. His execution at Barlinnie Prison marked the end of a media frenzy, and to this day, his crimes remain a dark chapter in British criminal history, notable for their psychological complexity and cold-blooded audacity.

• Crime: Murder/Rape
• Victims: 7-9
• Method: Shooting
• Date of Execution: July 11, 1958 (age 31)
• Method of Execution: Hanging

Famous Last Words: “Turn up the radio and I’ll go quietly.”

Dr. Marcel Petiot

Dr. Marcel Petiot was a respected physician in occupied Paris who used the chaos of World War II to conceal a monstrous scheme. Under the guise of helping Jews escape Nazi persecution, Petiot lured his victims to his home with promises of safe passage to South America. Instead, he injected them with cyanide under the pretense of inoculations, robbed them of their belongings, and incinerated their bodies in a hidden basement furnace. When his home was eventually searched, authorities found body parts, quicklime pits, and evidence of at least 27 murders, but the true number may be far higher. At his trial, Petiot remained eerily calm, claiming he was a Resistance hero eliminating enemies of the state. The jury wasn’t convinced.

• Crime: Murder/Robbery
• Victims: 27 + (Jews during WWII)
• Method: Poison (promised safe passage for Jews)
• Date of Execution: May 25, 1946 (age 49)
• Method of Execution: Decapitation by guillotine

Famous Last Words: “Gentleman, I have one last piece of advise: Look away. This will not be pretty to see.” (to the henchman)

Mario Benjamin Murphy

Murphy was the youngest person executed in Virginia in over three decades, and his case drew attention due to the circumstances of his conviction and the questions surrounding his role in the crime. A Mexican national and former Navy sailor, Murphy was involved in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by a woman seeking to kill her husband for insurance money. Though he did not carry out the killing himself (two co-defendants beat and stabbed the victim to death with a steel pipe) Murphy was convicted as a conspirator. His appeals, including international pleas citing inadequate consular notification under the Vienna Convention, were ultimately rejected. His execution sparked diplomatic friction with Mexico and reignited debate over the execution of foreign nationals in the United States.

• Crime: Murder for Hire
• Victims: 1
• Method: Steel Pipe/Stabbing
• Date of Execution: September 17, 1997 (age 25)
• Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Famous Last Words: “Today is a good day to die. I forgive all of you. I hope God does too.”

James French

James French is remembered less for his crimes and more for his infamous gallows humor. After being sentenced to life for murdering a motorist who picked him up while hitchhiking, French, already in prison, murdered his cellmate specifically to force the state to execute him — reportedly because he lacked the will to kill himself. His bizarre sense of irony persisted until the very end; as he was strapped into the electric chair, he allegedly quipped to the press: “How’s this for a headline? French fries.”

• Crime: Murder
• Victims: 2 (1 + killed his cellmate after arrest)
• Method: Killed a motorist after being picked up for hitchhiking/Strangulation
• Date of Execution: August 10, 1966 (age 30)
• Method of Execution: Electrocution

Famous Last Words: “How’s this for a headline? ‘French Fries'”

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