Death row killer's secret 3-word message to nephew in his final seconds of life
A convicted murderer, infamous for his gruesome crime of injecting battery acid into his victim before strangling him to death, gave a bizarre secret message before being executed.
Robert Charles Towery, was sentenced to death after strangling Mark Jones to death after robbing his Phoenix home in 1991. His victim had not only loaned him money on multiple occasions but had also employed him as a mechanic.
Before he was executed by lethal injection in March 2012, he broke down in tears, and said sorry, adding that his life had been one mistake after another. He said: "I would like to apologise to Mark's family and friends for what I did to them. I would like to apologise to my family.
"So many times in my life I went left when I should have gone right and I went right when I should have gone left. It was mistake after mistake."
However, it was Towery's cryptic final words that left those present and the wider public puzzled.
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His closing message, was simply "potato, potato, potato". It was revealed to be a secret communication to his nephew. The reason behind this seemingly obscure choice of words held a deeper meaning.
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During his execution, Towery expressed remorse and apologized to the victim's family for his actions, acknowledging his mistakes (Sygma via Getty Images)Unveiling the hidden significance, sources close to the family disclosed that "potato" was a coded reference that only Towery's nephew would understand. This odd choice of word was meant to convey the sound a Harley-Davidson motorcycle makes when idling. His lawyer said it was Towery's way of telling his nephew that everything was OK.
Before he died, Towery was given a last meal of porterhouse steak, jacket potato and sour cream, asparagus, mushrooms, clam chowder, milk, Pepsi and apple pie a la mode.
In the 1991 robbery and murder, Towery and his friend Randy Barker had gone to the victim Mark Jones's home claiming their car had broken down and they needed to use his phone. Towery then pulled a gun out while Barker handcuffed him, before the duo loaded Mark's' car with electronics, jewellery, credit cards and cash.
They marched him to his bedroom at gunpoint where Towery attempted to inject the victim's arm with battery acid. When that did not work, he strangled him with plastic ties, making two separate nooses.
Mark's body was found the next day. The men were caught when a security guard said he had seen them dump the vehicle at an apartment complex. Barker was given a plea deal for testifying against Towery and was released from jail in 2001.
In attempts for a reprieve, Towery's attorneys said the court did not consider mitigating factors, such as an abusive childhood at the hands of his mother and drug abuse.
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