Today’s Tiny Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
George “Tiny” Mercer was executed on January 6, 1989 in Missouri by lethal injection. He had been convicted of raping and murdering a waitress. After he and two other men had assaulted the girl repeatedly, Mercer strangled her and beat her on the head while screaming, “Die, you bitch, die!” “I’ve always been just like anybody else,” Tiny Mercer once told a reporter. “I’ve paid my taxes, just like any other citizen of the United States would do. I lived a normal life, just like everybody else did.” Many adjectives were used to describe Mercer during his trial, but “normal” sure as hell wasn’t one of them. Tiny was a long-time biker and the leader of two motorcycle gangs, The Rancid Riders and The Missing Links. (“My mother was a biker,” Mercer claimed. “It’s in my blood.”) The words “love” and “hate” were tattooed across the knuckles of his hands, while the Harley-Davidson logo and the words “Rancid Riders” were emblazoned across his back. He is also reported to have once yanked out some of his own front teeth with a pair of pliers during a motorcycle gang ritual. But years of prison life obviously served to mellow out the once “rancid” killer. He became a born-again Christian and divided his reading time equally between motorcycle magazines and the Bible. The kinder, gentler Mercer even offered the prison warden a burrito left over from his last meal just prior to his execution, proving that even the worst criminals are capable of performing a “tiny” gesture of good will.
Last Meal: Barbecued beefsteak, barbecued ribs, tacos, burritos, French fries, a tossed salad with oil and vinegar dressing, and a large Coca-Cola.
Culled from: Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals From Death Row
I always roll my eyes whenever the implication is made that a becoming a born-again Christian is somehow equal to becoming a better person. Some of the most vivid Morbid Facts ever were committed in the name of religion, after all.
I put no stock in jailbrids’ claims that they found Jesus (or Allah or Buddha) in jail. Most everybody in jail does that, it’s like the most popular jailhouse hobby, and the main one that doesn’t get your privileges revoked.
Funny how criminals find Jesus right after the cops find the criminals.
How do the numbers go? In America 75% of of the general population say they’re Christians, while 75% of prison inmates also claim to be Christians. But 10% of Americans say they’re atheist, while .2% of prison inmates claim to be atheist. Interesting, no?
What comfort was his being a born again give the victim’s family? The worst is when the born again killer wants to “apologize” to the family of the victim…just a hollow gesture to make the perpetrator feel better.
Be sure to check out the new revised 10th anniversary edition of Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row—the book this information was taken from.
Roast in Hell Tiny.