Thomas J Grasso

About

Convicted murderer who was executed by lethal injection in 1995 for killing Hilda Johnson, aged 87, and Leslie Holtz, aged 81. Initially sentenced to 20 years to life after he confessed to the murder of Holtz in 1992, he was sentenced to death later that year when he also pleaded guilty to the murder of Johnson. After New York legislation that was intended to restore the state's death penalty was vetoed, former New York governor George Pataki had him extradited to Oklahoma, where he was executed on March 20, 1995.

Before Fame

He relocated from West Babylon, NY to Tampa, FL with his family at a young age. Before he committed the murders of Johnson and Holtz, he racked up a lengthy criminal record as a teen, primarily for theft. He left Tampa in 1990 to stay at the home of his girlfriend Lana's grandmother in Tulsa, OK. His first victim Hilda Johnson was her grandmother's neighbor and best friend.

Trivia

After his death, he became infamously known for his odd choice of last words, "I did not get my SpaghettiOs. I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this." He made the statement in reference to an apparent error that had been made in the preparation of his last meal, which also included two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams, a double cheeseburger, a half dozen BBQ ribs, and two milkshakes, among several other dishes.

Family Life

He was the son of Joseph and Ruth Grasso. Before he was born, his older brother Joseph Thomas Grasso was killed at only four years old when he was run over by a neighbor's car. He was meant to be named after his brother. However, a fortune teller issued a warning to his mother that he too would meet a fateful end if she gave him the same title. Therefore, she changed his intended name of Joseph Thomas to Thomas Joseph. He married Lana Grasso in 1991.

Associated With

He was extradited to Oklahoma after the New York legislation meant to restore the state's death penalty was vetoed by former governors Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo.