Death row inmate shared hidden three-word message to his family in chilling final statement

A person's last words before they die can be eerie by nature - but those of death row inmates are often especially chilling.

Some of them choose to protest their innocence while others apologise to the victims and their families.

And many choose to use their final moments to send love to their families before they pass.

But one death row inmate's message to his family left a lot of people rather confused - however, it was only intended for one person.

In 1991, Robert Charles Towery was sentenced to death after killing 68-year-old Mark Jones when he robbed his home.

Chillingly, the victim knew his killer, having previously hired him as a mechanic and loaned him money.

On the day of the crime, Towery and his accomplice, Randy Barker, went Jones' home and pretended that their car had broken down and they needed to use his phone.

Once inside the house, they handcuffed him and robbed him at gun point, taking money, jewellery and other valuables.

Towery then injected the 68-year-old with battery acid and strangled him to death with plastic ties.

Robert Charles Towery was sentenced to death for robbing and murdering a man in 1991 (Clark Prosecutor)

Jones' body was found the next day, and the pair were caught when trying to dump his car.

Barker was released from prison in 2001 after testifying against his accomplice and agreeing to a plea deal, but Towery was sentenced to death for his crimes.

He was executed by lethal injection on 8 March, 2012, at the age of 47.

In his last words before he died, he apologised to his victim's family and then sent a 'secret message' to his family.

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.

In his final words, Towery sent a secret message to his family - in particular his nephew (Arizona Department of Corrections)

"I love my family. Potato, potato, potato."

They may seem like an odd choice of words but Towery's lawyer, Dale Baich, has since revealed that it was, in fact, a message to his nephew.

Apparently, the sound you make when you say 'potato' is similar to the noise a motorbike's engine makes.

According to the Arizona Mirror, the pair were 'Harley Davidson buffs' and Towery used the words to tell his nephew that 'everything was okay'.