Weeping Arizona inmate put to death after he apologizes and says he loves his family... but his final words are 'potato, potato, potato'

Robert Towery, 47, strangled Mark Jones in 1991



Second Arizona inmate to die in eight days

Last meal included steak, baked potato with sour cream, clam chowder, Pepsi and apple pie a la mode



An Arizona killer wept and apologised to his victim's family as he was put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for a violent murder and robbery.



Yet while Robert Charles Towery, 47, tried to have an emotional farewell, his last words were 'potato potato, potato', muttered as he fell asleep.



Towery, the second Arizona inmate to die in eight days, was found guilty of strangling Mark Jones after robbing his Phoenix home in 1991.

Killed: Robert Charles Towery has been put to death by lethal injection for the 1991 murder and robbery of Mark Jones. He apologised and wept before he died

Before he died, Towery broke down in tears, apologised to Jones's family and his own family, and said his life had been one mistake after another.



'I would like to apologize to Mark's family and friends for what I did to them. I would like to apologize to my family,' Towery said.

'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.'

According to the Arizona Republic, he looked at his family and began crying, before adding: 'I love my family. Potato, potato, potato.'

Chamber: Towery, 47, was executed in Arizona State Prison, pictured, despite numerous pleas from his attorneys to change his sentence to life in prison

He took a few heavy breaths and began sleeping. The execution took nine minutes and Towery was declared dead at 11.26 a.m.

Potatoes may have been on his mind after his last meal before his execution included a baked potato with sour cream.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Mark Stroman (2011): ‘Let’s do this damn thing’ Stroman was executed in Texas after he went on a shooting spree following the 9/11 attacks, killing three people he thought were Muslims. Thomas J. Grasso (1995): ‘I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this’ Grasso was executed in Oklahoma for a double murder. His last meal included a can of Franco-American Spaghetti-O’s. John Wayne Gacy (1994): ‘Kiss my ass! You’ll never find the rest’

The ‘Killer Clown’ was convicted of the rapes and murders of 33 men between 1972 and 1978. George Appel (1928): ‘Well, gentlemen… you are about to see a baked Appel' Moments before his execution, he also said, ‘Damn, no power outage.’ He was executed via electric chair for robbery and the murder of a New York City police officer. Edward H. Rulloff (1870): ‘I’d like to be in hell in time for dinner’ Known as the ‘Man of Two Lives’ for his paradoxical lives of respected educator and swindler, he was hanged for the murder of his wife and daughter.

He also ate porterhouse steak, asparagus, mushrooms, clam chowder, milk, Pepsi and apple pie a la mode.

His attorneys had made several unsuccessful arguments to spare his life - including a request at the 11th hour to reduce the sentence to 25 years as his accomplice had served only 10 years behind bars.

Randy Allen Barker was given a plea deal for testifying against Towery and was released from jail in 2001.

Yet Towery's lawyers had argued that Barker, holding a gun, had watched the prolonged killing and 'exhibited extreme indifference to human life'.

'He could have stopped Mr. Towery,' the file read. 'Mr. Towery was unarmed, and had neither physically assaulted nor threatened Mr. Barker.'

But the court did not believe the sentencing was disproportionate and turned down their request less than two hours after receiving the filing.

In other attempts, his attorneys said the court did not consider mitigating factors, such as an abusive childhood at the hands of his mother and drug abuse.

Last week, Towery himself pleaded with the clemency board to change the sentence to life in prison instead, while apologising to Jones's family.

'I have the deepest regrets for what I did and I'm truly sorry for their loss, for what I did to them," he said.

'It's a terrible thing that I did and it should never have happened. I can only pray that they will find peace and that someday they'll be able to forgive me.'

Then: With an accomplice, Towery (left and right) went to the home of Jones, an acquaintance. The men robbed his home and car and Towery strangled him



Scene: The murder took place in the affluent Paradise Valley, Arizona

Towery and Barker had discussed robbing Jones as Towery - who had borrowed money from Jones in the past - knew he had money.

During Barker's trial, he said they went to Jones's home claiming their car had broken down and they needed to use his phone.

Dead: Robert Henry Moormann, who killed his mother, was put to death in Arizona eight days before

Towery then pulled a gun out while Barker handcuffed him , before the duo loaded Jones' car with electronics, jewelery, 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.

Jones' 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.

His death comes eight days after Robert Henry Moormann was executed for killing and dismembering his adoptive mother as she slept in 1984.



Moormann was the first Arizona inmate to be executed with one lethal drug, as opposed to the state's long-standing, three-drug protocol.

The switch was made after it was realised on Monday that one of the drugs had expired. Towery was killed with the same drug.

