Death row inmate put to death ate 'simple' fast food dish and snack as last meal
The first transgender person to be executed in the United States requested a simple fast food dish and a snack for her last meal.
Amber McLaughlin, 49, was convicted of stalking and murdering a former girlfriend, then dumping the body near the Mississippi River in St Louis.
She was put to death in Missouri on Tuesday night in Missouri only a few hours after Republican Governor Mike Parson declined a request for clemency.
McLaughlin was reported to have spoken quietly with a spiritual adviser at her side as a fatal dose of pentobarbital was administered.
She then breathed heavily a couple of times before shutting her eyes, and was pronounced dead a few minutes later.
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The convicted murderer was served a final meal of a cheeseburger, french fries, a strawberry milkshake and peanut M&MsYesterday morning she was served a last meal of a cheeseburger, french fries, a strawberry milkshake and peanut M&Ms, according to NPR radio.
A final written statement was also issued following her death which read: "I am sorry for what I did. I am a loving and caring person."
Her execution came despite impassioned criticism from campaigners and her legal team, who argued her long-standing mental health issues should have been taken into account when giving her sentence.
McLaughlin only transitioned her gender three years ago, and was known as Scott while dating victim Beverly Guenther.
After the couple broke up, McLaughlin would stalk her and hid at her workplace, with police sometimes having to escort her to her car after she voiced concerns over her own safety.
On the night of November 20, 2003, Ms Guenther's neighbours called the cops when she failed to return home.
Officers went to the office building, where they found a broken knife handle near her car and a trail of blood.
A day later, McLaughlin led police to a location near the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri, where the body had been dumped.
Amber McLaughlin was known as Scott while dating victim Beverly Guenther (Missouri Department of Corrections)She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006.
A database on the website for the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Centre shows that 1,558 people have been executed since the death penalty was reinstated in the mid-1970s.
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All but 17 of those put to death were men. The centre said there are no known previous cases of an openly transgender inmate being executed.
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