Unusual reason Florida's oldest death row inmate declined final meal before execution

'What would be your death row meal?' is a question thousands of citizens ask each other - but an inmate who turned down the offer explained why he 'didn't need one'.

One of Florida's oldest inmates in the state's history, Dennis Sochor, 74, was convicted of murdering and kidnapping Patricia Gifford in 1982, after meeting her at a New Year's Eve party. He was executed by lethal injection on July 14 2026, 44 years after committing the crime.

Inmates in Florida are all entitled to a final death row meal, although under the state's current policy, it cannot exceed $40 in total cost. Fast food orders are also prohibited.

Sochor, however, totalled $0, telling Patheos a day before his execution: “I don’t need a last meal or nothing.

Sochor denied having a final meal on death row (Getty Stock Images)

“I think I’m just gonna go on a spiritual journey of prayer and fasting up till tomorrow.”

It wasn't just his final meal he was turning down, however, with Sochor telling the outlet that he'd also refused food from the vending machine as he 'doesn't want to waste time eating'.

He also revealed that he was in love with a girl named Ellie, adding that instead of eating, he 'wants to look at her all the time'.

Sochor was pronounced dead at 6.16pm on July 14, and had one final thing to say before his passing.

The 74-year-old apologized to Gifford's family, telling them he was 'deeply sorry', WUSF reports.

Patricia Gifford was murdered by Sochor on New Year's Eve (Family Handout)

He then thanked his loved ones for their support and 'commended his spirit to Jesus Christ'.

On the fateful night in 1982, Gifford and her friend were approached by Sochor and his brother in a South Florida bar, the Banana Boat.

Her friend later left due to feeling unwell, and Gifford later left with the brothers, as they planned to go for food. However, she was driven to a remote location and was later killed.

Sochor was arrested four years after the murder, in 1986.

Dennis Sochor had been on death row since the 1980s (Florida Department of Corrections)

Last month, Florida executed Dusty Ray Spencer, who was also 74 years old, after spending more than three decades on death row.

He was convicted of the murder of his wife, Karen Spencer, which took place in 1992.

Unlike Sochor, Spencer did decide to have a final meal, in which he chose to go for pizza, french fries and a milkshake.

Dusty Ray Spencer died by lethal injection on June 25 (Florida Department of Corrections)

Moments before his death, he said: "Sorry, sorry to the family. Into thy hands I commit my spirit and my soul. I’m on my way, Lord. I’m on my way. Amen."

While Spencer's last meal request was relatively 'normal', there have been some bizarre ones over the years...

Infamous death row meals

Victor Feguer

Can you even class Feguer's request as a ‘meal’? (Iowa Police)

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

Gacy was known as the ‘Killer Clown’ (Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images)

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

Prison officials denied his request (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

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

The 33-year-old was responsible for one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in US history (Getty Images)

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

His actions had major consequences (Buck Kelly/Getty Images)

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.