One death row inmate's final moments led Florida to permanently change its last meal rules

A prison superintendent's small act of kindness to a death row inmate in 1979 led to such public outrage that Florida's death row rules had to be revised.

John Spenkelink, 30, was the first murderer to be executed in Florida after the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

But that wasn't the only reason he made history.

The killer was put to death for the 1973 murder of Joseph Szymankiewicz in a Tallahassee motel room.

The victim, 45, had been shot twice and beaten in the head with a hatchet. Spenkelink claimed he had acted in self-defense, alleging the man forced him at gunpoint to perform a sexual act and play Russian roulette.

But shortly after Spenkelink was sentenced to death, the state realized they were faced with a problem - no one knew how to operate the chair.

The killer was the last person to order this specific final meal in Florida. (UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

There was no written instructions on how to carry out an execution, and there was no executioner.

''We had to start from scratch and rely on people's memories,'' said Richard Dugger, then assistant superintendent of Florida State Prison, speaking with the Ledger.

Bear in mind no one had been executed in Florida for 15 years.

As the execution drew near, prison superintendent Dave Brierton was trying to think of a way to calm Spenkelink down as he awaited his fate.

He said: "'It was a very difficult time for Spenkelink. It was a very difficult time for me. It was the loss of a human life."

To try and 'take the edge off', he pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's and told Dugger to offer the inmate a drink.

Dugger told UPI: "It seemed like a way to maybe calm the fellow down before he was supposed to go the the chair.

"We talked about tranquillizers, but we didn't feel drugs were appropriate. Maybe you would say alcohol is a drug, I don't know.

"We asked Spenkelink if he wanted a drink, and he said, 'Sure.'"

Digger went on to share a drink with other death row inmates too, but the State of Florida's last meal provisions were later revised to exclude alcohol.

The 30-year-old was the first murderer to be executed in Florida after the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. (Jerry Cabluck/Sygma via Getty Images)

Bob Dekle, chief prosecutor in the Ted Bundy murder case, recalled that many people were outraged by the request, as many suggested a killer did not deserve such a privilege.

But Spenkelink isn't the only inmate to have changed rules around death row meals forever.

Texas banned last meals on death row in 2011, following the execution of Lawrence Russell Brewer.

According to a report from Jacksonville.com, Brewer asked for enough food to feed a whole street, including two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas and a meat lover's pizza.

But he didn't stop there, as the inmate also asked for some sweet treats to round off the meal, including a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts.

The prison delivered on his request - but then revealed that Brewer didn't eat any of it, instead claiming he wasn't hungry.

And his behaviour subsequently ended the 87-year tradition of allowing death row inmates in Texas to choose their last meal.