People stunned to discover how death row prisoner spent final hours before his final meal

When a person is placed on Death Row, usually, people think their final moments are bleak - but one person’s last hours have caused a storm online after it became apparent it was anything but bleak.

When someone commits a crime, people expect criminals to be miserable.

But sometimes, criminals have been able to get a little enjoyment out of their time in the slammer.

From eating the biggest meal possible, luxury goods, or just being creative in jail, murderers have been known to live with simple joys when imprisoned.

But Ronnie Lee Gardiner’s time before his death has left people shocked.

The Salt Lake City, US, man robbed a Cheers Tavern in 1984, while under the influence of cocaine and fatally shot bartender Melvyn John Otterstrom.

Wildly, Gardner allegedly gained access to his victim’s funeral by posing as a childhood friend.

However, he was apprehended by police three weeks later after being tipped off.

During his trial, Gardner committed even more crimes after he pulled out a revolver he had smuggled into the courthouse and shot George Kirk, a bailiff, attorney Michael Burdell in the eye and was finally stopped when police apprehended him as he tried to escape the building.

Ronnie Lee Gardner's last hours were shocking (Utah Department of Corrections)

He was then taken to hospital for serious injuries, where it was revealed that Burdell died 45 minutes later.

Of course, when court picked back up for the murder of Otterstrom, Gardiner was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. But after deeming him mentally capable, he was handed the death penalty for Burdell's murder and was sentenced to death by firing squad.

How Ronnie Lee Gardiner spent his final hours

The killer was on Death Row up until 2010, when he was scheduled to be executed on 15 June at 12:15 am (local time).

Three days before his timed death, Gardner gorged himself with pleasures, such as a final meal comprising of steak, lobster tail, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and a 7-Up.

But what shocked people on Reddit even more was that it was reported how he began a 48-hour fast while watching The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Now, if you didn’t know…that’s over nine hours of watch time.

Sometimes people get luxuries before they die (Getty Stock)

People were perplexed that he was allowed to eat such a gourmet meal and also watch LoTR before dying.

Most were wondering if this was a master plan to delay his death, as the trilogy is so long.

One person said: “The man watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is still alive. They can’t kill him until the credits end.”

Another wrote: “The executioner and everyone else is just waiting for it to end so they can do their job and go home, and then it gets to the finale of Return of the King, and the guard is like ‘Okay everyone, I think this it... No wait. There's more.’”

Someone else commented: “Genuinely curious how that went. Did they let him at least finish Fellowship? No way they let him marathon the whole trilogy all day? And if they cut him off, I wonder at what scene was his last?”

We’ll probably never find out that detail.

Gardner watched The Lord of The Rings trilogy (New Line Cinema)

What prisoners are allowed to request while on death row

Since people have been talking about Gardner being able to request to watch the very long trilogy, people wondered what else people can ask for when they’re about to die.

According to The Marshall Project, there are a few things you can request.

Whether it’s a chaplain to pray over you, the method of execution, who witnesses your death, a final meal (in most places), and your final words - people can ask for basic things.

As for food, in Oklahoma, there’s a $25 spending limit, and Florida’s is $40 and the food must be available locally.

However, Texas scrapped its last meal request thanks to an inmate’s order that left them stunned.

Now, inmates can only receive whatever is being served that day in the prison cafeteria.

The controversial death row meal that changed future requests for prisoners

Lawrence Russell Brewer, a white supremacist who dragged a man to death behind his car, was sentenced to death and was executed 14 years ago in 2011.

The 44-year-old was convicted for the racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr, 49, in June 1998.

Brewer and accomplice John King became the first white men to receive the death penalty for killing a black man in modern Texas, sparking changes to how they deal with hate crimes.

But while his crime shaped one rule, it also tanked the 87-year tradition of allowing inmates to choose their last meal.

Brewer asked for a bowl of fried okra with ketchup, two chicken steaks with gravy and onions, and a cheese omelette with ground beef, jalapenos and bell peppers.

According to the Houston Chronicle, he also wanted a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, three fajitas, one pound of barbecue and a half loaf of white bread, pizza meat lover's special, one pint of 'homemade vanilla' Blue Bell ice cream, one slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts, and three root beers.

But what he did next caused enough outrage to scrap the whole request system.

He refused to eat it when it came.

So, he ruined it for everyone.