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Texas Inmate Said "No Mayo"; Execution Delayed
Sep 18 2004 by Michael Gantman
Legal scholars are caught in a civil rights quagmire over the decision to delay the execution of Thomas Davison Jefferies, convicted of the 1982 slayings of three off-duty police officers and a local drifter known as Scrubs.
Jeffries was to be the 347th Texas inmate executed since the Supreme Court relaxed its restrictions on the death penalty.
At 10:00 pm last Tuesday, Jefferies was joined by his attorney and spiritual advisor Nathan Meyersen III for his last meal. Jefferies ordered a double bacon cheese burger with jalapenos, onions, pickles, and mustard; Suzie-Q French fries; a small salad; and a Diet Pepsi. He specifically requested no mayo, citing personal reasons.
"He was in pretty good spirits," Meyersen recalled. "But those bastards, they knew. Now their going to pay." Meyersen hinted there was precedent for overturning his client's execution and has since filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court.
In US v. Hayes, an inmate was granted an appeal on the grounds that federal officers violated his 8th Amendment guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment. In that case, Hayes, a vegan, was facing life without parole when guards fed him a cookie made with traces of animal fat. Hayes' conviction was overturned in a 6-to-3 decision.
Fellow inmate LeVon Sharelle recalled an incident in which Jefferies slapped a line cook for placing a mayonnaise packet next to a fish sandwich on Jefferies' food tray. Jefferies spent the night in the infirmary doubled over a bed pan.
Long-time death penalty opponent Susan Sarandon and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines were seen leaving the prison the following morning. Both declined comment, but looked visibly shaken.
Pending appeal, Jefferies rejoined the regular prison population and will appear on Larry King and Emeril later this month.
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