For generations, the American public has been fascinated by the stories of k!llers, with their crimes often dominating headlines and being immortalized in countless films and TV shows. Those captivated by these narratives eagerly await every update, from their capture to their final moments.
As many of these criminals face the death penalty, the public experiences a mix of relief—knowing they can no longer cause harm—and a morbid curiosity about their last moments. Their final statements—whether poignant reflections, crude comments, or chilling one-liners—provide a glimpse into their minds.
From Ted Bundy’s understated words to John Wayne Gacy’s defiant demeanor, here are the last words of infamous American k!llers.
10. Rosendo Rodriguez III: “I have run the good race”
Rosendo Rodriguez III confessed to m*rdering a 16-year-old girl in 2004, packing her body into a piece of luggage, and disposing of it at a landfill in San Antonio. He was later convicted of m*rdering a 29-year-old woman in 2005 and was connected to at least five other s*xual assaults before being executed by lethal injection in Texas on March 27, 2018.
His last words were: “I have fought the good fight; I have run the good race. Warden, I’m ready to join my father.”
9. Jack Jones Jr.: “I love you like a child”
In 1995, Jack Jones Jr. entered a county tax office in Bald Knob, Arkansas, where Mary Phillips worked. He str*ngled her 11-year-old daughter, Lacy, before r*ping and m*rdering Phillips, who was 34 at the time. When investigators arrived to document the two homic!des, they were shocked to see Lacy open her eyes after a camera flash, revealing she was still alive. Jones was convicted of m*rder and attempted murder and was executed by lethal injection on April 24, 2017.
His last words were: “I hope over time you can learn who I really am, and I am not a monster. There was a reason why those things happened that day. I am so sorry, Lacy. Try to understand; I love you like a child.”
8. Kimberly McCarthy: “This is not a loss, this is a win”
Under the pretense of borrowing sugar, Kimberly McCarthy entered the home of a 71-year-old neighbor in Lancaster, Texas, in 1997. She then st*bbed and killed the neighbor during a robbery to fund her crack coca!ne addiction. Although she was suspected of ki!ling two other elderly women in 1998, she never faced trial for those crimes. Her execution by lethal injection on June 26, 2013, marked the 500th execution in modern Texas history.
Her last words were: “This is not a loss, this is a win. You know where I am going. I am going home to be with Jesus. Keep the faith. I love y’all. Thank you, chaplain.”
7. Westley Allan Dodd: “Any way s*x offenders could be stopped”
After multiple arrests and court-mandated therapy for child molestat!on convictions, Westley Allan Dodd pleaded guilty to the 1989 se”*xual assault and m*rder of two brothers, aged 11 and 10, as well as the abduction and m*rder of a 4-year-old boy in Oregon. He was executed by hanging on January 5, 1993—the first legal hanging in the U.S. in 28 years. Notably, Dodd chose not to appeal his case or sentence and specifically requested execut!on by hanging.
His last words were: “I was once asked by somebody, I don’t remember who, if there was any way s*x offenders could be stopped. I said no. I was wrong.”
6. John Wayne Gacy: ‘”Kiss my ass”
John Wayne Gacy, who performed as Pogo the Clown at children’s parties and charity events in Chicago, was convicted of m*rdering at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Most of his victims were k!lled in his suburban Norwood Park home, primarily by strangulation or asphyxiation. Gacy buried 26 of the bodies in the crawl space beneath his house. In 1980, he was sentenced to death for 12 of those m*rders and was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.
His last words were: “Kiss my as*.”
5. Aileen Wuornos: “I’ll be back”
Aileen Wuornos was a s*x worker along Florida’s highways who claimed she only k!lled in self-defense. However, her shootings of several men in 1989 and 1990 led to convictions for six m*rders, ultimately resulting in her being placed on death row. Before her ex*cution by lethal injection on October 9, 2002, she referenced the films The Terminator (1984) and Independence Day (1996).
Her last words were: “I’d just like to say, I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus, June 6th. Like the movie, big mothership and all. I’ll be back.”
4. Ted Bundy: “Give my love to my family and friends”
The exact number of r*pes, m*rders, and k!dnappings committed by Ted Bundy remains unknown. He was convicted of k!lling two sorority sisters from Florida State University in January 1978 and a 12-year-old girl three weeks later, all occurring after he had escaped from jail—twice—in Colorado, where he faced charges for the 1975 m*rder of a nurse. According to ABC News, before his execution in Florida’s electric chair on January 24, 1989, Bundy confessed to 30 homic!des across seven states between 1974 and 1978.
His last words were: “I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.”
3. George Bernard Harris: “Somebody needs to k!ll my trial attorney”
After winning big at a craps game in Kansas City, Mo., on March 11, 1989, George Bernard Harris gave $500 to a man for two machine g*ns and later enlisted a second man to hold them for safekeeping.
When Harris wanted the g*ns back later that night, the second man couldn’t locate them, prompting Harris to shoot h!m dead with a revolver. According to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, he was later arrested for r*bbery, charged with m*rder, and executed on September 13, 2000.
His last words were: “Somebody needs to k!ll my trial attorney.”
2. William Bonin: “Think about it seriously”
Known as the “Freeway K!ller” after numerous victims were found along Southern California highways in 1979 and 1980, William Bonin was convicted of 14 m*rders of boys and young men, though he is believed to have r*ped and killed many more. He died by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison on February 23, 1996.
His last words were: “I would suggest that when a person has a thought of doing anything serious against the law, they should go to a quiet place and think about it seriously.”
1. Clarence Ray Allen: “Hoka Hey, it’s a good day to d!e”
While serving a life sentence in California’s Folsom Prison for the 1974 m*rder of his son’s girlfriend—who had reported him for a robbery—Clarence Ray Allen orchestrated hits on eight witnesses against him. A paroled inmate later m*rdered three of those witnesses and was apprehended with Allen’s list of names. Allen was subsequently convicted for these additional k!llings and, at the age of 76, was exec*ted by lethal injection on January 17, 2006. He became the second-oldest inmate to be executed in the U.S. in 30 years.
His last words were: “My last words will be, Hoka Hey, it’s a good day to die. Thank you very much; I love you all. Goodbye.”