Psychologist who’s interviewed hundreds of death row inmates says there's one trait they all have in common
There are currently approximately 2,100 inmates on death row in the United States, with the vast majority of them convicted of aggravated murder - but it's not the only thing they have in common.
Clinical psychologist Dr Bill Kimberlin, who has sat down with death row inmates including 'BTK' Dennis Rader and Samuel Little, says there's another trait they all share - and it's something most of us wouldn't expect.
Kimberlin started out visiting death row prisons in Ohio, and by his third visit, he was asked by one inmate if he wanted to attend their execution - which he did.
From then on, other inmates would reach out to the expert, asking him to also attend their executions. He then started researching more throughout the country, and what was meant to be a couple of visits to death row turned into years of interviews, research and visits.
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So it's safe to say Kimberlin knows the inmates pretty well.
Aside from the 'killing' aspect, and the crimes they've committed, which is the obvious answer, Kimberlin tells UNILAD that the one thing they all have in common is that 'they're all dangerously normal'.
"They don't walk around with 'serial killer' tattooed on their forehead or anything like that - which is understandable because they blend in so well with the environment that they're in depending on the section or group of people that they're setting out to kill," he explains.
Despite what we might see on TV, Kimberlin says that when he spends time with the inmates, there's 'no handcuffs or shackles', or anything of the sort.
Of course, the psychologist knows who he's speaking to and extensive details about them. However, he says those who didn't would have no idea about the crimes they have committed.
"They present in such a way that unless you knew ahead of time that you're dealing with a mass murderer or serial killer, you would not know," he says.
Kimberlin adds that everyone he speaks to is 'good at communicating' and 'very respectful' to him.
As they treat him well, Kimberlin says he 'offers the same respect in return'.
"They decide if I go home or not, so I'm always very conscious that I'm in their house and I play by their rules," he adds.
Due to this, the psychologist says the inmates, who he says he has a 'unique relationship' with, 'tell him anything', going as far as to confess other crimes to him, and asking him to witness their execution.
Between 1977 and 2026, there have been around 1670 executions in the country. Inmates in the United States currently spend an average of 22 years on death row awaiting their execution due to a number of factors, including complex, mandatory legal appeals and post-conviction reviews. Timelines can vary depending on the state.
Infamous death row meals
Victor Feguer
Feguer kidnapped and killed Dr Edward Bartels in July 1960. The doctor's body was later found in an Illinois cornfield with a single gunshot to the head.
Feguer was convicted of federal kidnapping and murder and executed by hanging at the Iowa State Penitentiary on 15 March, 1963.
For his final meal, the 27-year-old murderer requested a single olive with the pit in it. Feguer apparently told guards that he hoped an olive tree would grow from his grave, 'as a sign of peace'.
John Wayne Gacy
One of America’s most notorious serial killers, Gacy was convicted in 1980 after murdering at least 33 boys and young men in the 1970s.
The 52-year-old was executed by lethal injection at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois on 10 May, 1994.
Gacy opted for a bucket of KFC's original recipe chicken, French fries, 12 deep-fried shrimp, and a pound of strawberries for his last supper. In an eerie full-circle moment, it’s said that he previously managed several KFC restaurants owned by his father-in-law.
James Edward Smith
Smith was found guilty of fatally shooting Larry Don Rohus while he was robbing an office building in Houston, Texas, in 1983.
He was put to death by lethal injection at Texas’ Huntsville Unit on 26 June, 1990.
The inmate asked for a lump of rhaeakunda dirt for his final meal, as part of a voodoo ritual, which he both practised and believed in, as he hoped that it would assist his journey into reincarnation.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, his bizarre request was denied, and the 37-year-old was given plain yoghurt instead.
Timothy McVeigh
McVeigh was convicted of conspiracy, using a weapon of mass destruction, and destruction by explosives resulting in death for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people.
On 11 June, 2001, he was executed for his crimes via lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Indiana.
McVeigh, 33, chowed down on two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream for his final meal.
Lawrence Russell Brewer
Brewer was a white supremacist who, along with two other men, was convicted of murdering James Byrd Jr. in 1998.
Aged 44, he was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Texas on 21 September, 2011.
For his last meal, the criminal infamously requested: two chicken fried steaks smothered in gravy with sliced onions; a triple bacon cheeseburger with fixings on the side; a cheese omelette with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, peppers and jalapeños; a large bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecue meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas with all the trimmings; a Meat Lovers pizza; one pint of vanilla ice cream; a slab of peanut butter fudge; and three root beers.
However, when it arrived, Brewer refused to touch any of it - you can imagine how that went down. His actions ultimately led to the state abolishing the long-standing tradition.
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Topics: True crime, Death Row, Psychology, US News
Kiesha Dosanjh