But it was the details of how Sallie spent his final moments that grabbed people's attention. The last meals and the final words are part of a tradition maintained in most US states, but Texas abolished meal requests this year.
For those who were given the chance to make a final request this year, this is how they chose to use it.
Oscar Ray Bolin Jr
Ray Bolin Jr was executed on January 7 in Florida. Photo / AP
Bolin was executed on January 7 in Florida.
He is believed to have been responsible for three murders - 26-year-old Teri Lynn Matthews, 17-year-old Stephanie Collins and 25-year-old Natalie Holley - but the last of the three was tossed out because of legal errors during trial.
For his last meal, he ate a steak (medium rare), a salad, some garlic bread, a baked potato and a lemon meringue pie. He drank Coca-Cola.
Asked if he wished to make any final comments before he was put to death, Bolin replied: "No, sir."
Richard Masterson
Masterson was executed on January 20 in Texas, where last meal requests are a thing of the past.
The 43-year-old, who strangled Texas woman Darin Honeycutt after meeting her in a bar in 2001, did make the most of his last words.
He declared he was at peace with the state's decision to execute him and that he deserved to be punished.
"Sending me to a better place. I am alright with this," Masterson said.
"You have to live and die by the choices that we make. I have made mine."
Christopher Brooks
Brooks was executed a day after Masterson in Alabama.
The 43-year-old was convicted in 1992 of the rape and murder of Jo Deann Campbell, 23. The victim was beaten with a barbell, AL.com reported.
For breakfast on January 21, Brooks was delivered biscuits, sausages, jelly and cheese but chose not to eat it. He had his eyes on something sweeter. For his last meal, he requested two peanut butter cups and a Dr Pepper soft drink.
He spoke inside the chamber before his execution, saying: "I hope this brings closure to everybody" and "I'll see you soon, I love y'all".
James Freeman
James Freeman was executed on January 27 in Texas. Photo / AP
The 35-year-old was involved in a shootout with Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden Justin Hurst, who was killed when the pair exchanged fire in 2007. It was Hurst's 34th birthday, according to the New York Daily News.
For his last meal, Freeman was prepared a pepper steak with gravy, steamed rice, mixed beans and bread. He was served chocolate cake and tea. He chose not to make a final statement. His last words were: "No, I do not."
Brandon Jones
Jones was executed on February 3 in Georgia. He was the oldest inmate on death row at the time of his execution, aged 72.
His execution came more than 35 years after he was convicted of killing a shop manager during a robbery.
He declined to make a final statement and did not make a special meal request. Instead, he ate prison food including chicken and rice, seasoned vegetables and cornbread.
In December 1990, the then-18-year-old entered a bottle shop with a shotgun, stole money and alcohol and shot clerk Craig Turski in the stomach and head. He was free for a month before police tracked him down and he confessed.
It's not known what Garcia ate for his final meal, but he did make a statement in the execution room.
"Yes, sir," he replied when asked if he had any final words. "To my family, to my mum, I love you. God bless you, stay strong."
Travis Hittson
Hittson was executed on February 17 in Georgia.
The 45-year-old received an injection in Jackson, 24 years after he was convicted of killing fellow Navy crewman Conway Utterbeck. He told officers he was paranoid that Utterbeck was trying to kill him when he struck the victim a number of times with a baseball bat.
He, too, declined to make a final statement, saying politely: "Not, sir. I'm alright."
For his last meal he requested only prison food. He ate meat loaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, bread, pudding and peas and carrots.
Coy Wesbrook
Wesbrook was executed on March 9 in Texas.
The 58-year-old was became the eighth person executed in the US since January 1. He was convicted in 1997 over the murder of his ex-wife, Gloria Jean Coons, and four others.
He argued he flew into a rage when he walked into a room to discover his ex-wife in bed with a number of men.
Before he was executed, he apologised.
"I want to say that I'm sorry for the pain that I have caused you people," he said. "I'm sorry I can't bring everybody back. I wish things could have been a lot different."
Moments before he stopped breathing, he became confused,
"I know there's something else I need to say, but I don't know."
Joshua Bishop
Bishop was executed on March 31 in Georgia.
The man who killed two people - Ricky Lee Wills and Leverette Morrison - just weeks apart in 1994 said he could "feel it" when he was delivered a lethal cocktail of drugs that ended his life.
"I apologise to the people of Baldwin County and to the Morrison family," he said, his voice barely audible. "I'd also like to thank all the people who stood by me."
Hours earlier, he made a request for a final meal that included, among other things, purple lollies.
He ate a sandwich, stew, potato chips, coleslaw and drank lemonade.
Pablo Vasquez
Vasquez was executed on April 7 in Texas.
The so-called "vampire killer" was put to death over the killing of a 12-year-old boy in 1998. The 38-year-old made headlines around the world when it was revealed he killed David Cardenas then drank the boy's blood.
He was remorseful inside the execution chamber.
"I'm sorry to David's family," he said. "This is the only way that I can be forgiven. You got your justice right here ... See you on the other side."
The 37-year-old requested a stay of execution which was not granted. He was given lethal injection shortly before 10pm local time for the deaths of three people.
Lucas was convicted on the April 1998 murders of Steven Moss and his two children, Bryan, 11, and Kristin, 15.
The Georgia man was inside the Moss home when the trio returned from school. He shot and killed all three family members.
For his last meal, he ate pizza, steak and a cheese calzone, as well as a stuffed portobello mushroom, a salad and orange juice. He apologised to the victims' families with his last words.
"I would like to say I'm sorry to Mrs Moss and the family," he said.
The 66-year-old was found guilty over the killing of two people, Harriet Smith and Michael Wells, during a confrontation over drugs in 2002. He shot both of them in the face at close range, it was reported.
On his last day, he ate steak, pasta, fruit, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. He drank milk with a slice of chocolate cake for dessert.
Forrest opted not to make a final statement, but witnesses say he mouthed words to his adult daughter, who was watching on behind a glass screen.
John Conner
Conner was executed on July 15 in Georgia. Photo / AP
Conner was executed on July 15 in Georgia.
The 60-year-old was convicted over the murder of his neighbour and friend, JT White, after the pair got into an argument on January 9, 1982.
Fuller Jr ate steak, potatoes, beans, sliced bread and a pear for his last meal, but given rules in Texas prohibit final requests, he had no say in the matter.
Fuller Jr did not wish to make any final comments before he was executed.
Gregory Paul Lawler
Lawler was executed a few ticks before midnight on October 20 in Georgia.
Believed to have autism, the 63-year-old's lawyers argued for a pardon but they were unsuccessful. Lawyer wound up on death row after shooting and killing police officer John Sowa in 1997.
He did not make a final statement and refused an offer for a prayer to be read on his behalf. He did, however, request a final meal that, like so many others, included steak and potatoes.
His potatoes were baked with sour cream and asparagus and paired with a bread roll and French onion soup. He ate strawberries and pistachio ice cream.
