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"Prosecutors said Towers, 55, was killed as part of a satanic ritual by
Doty, who believed he could attain magical powers if he killed a Caucasian
during the spring equinox...."
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The�Arizona�Daily�Star �
Saturday January 19 04:44 AM EST
Doty guilty in guard's death
By Joseph Barrios and Patty Machelor , ARIZONA DAILY STAR
The jury deliberated five hours before returning its verdict. Doty still
faces first-degree murder charges in two other deaths.
James S. Wood / staff
Jason Paul Doty was convicted Friday of first-degree murder and robbery for
the death of Grady Mitchell Towers, one of three murders he is accused of
committing.
Doty, 29, could be given a death sentence for the murder of Towers, who was
shot once in the chest, once in the leg and five times in the head during a
March 20, 2000, robbery at Tohono Chul Park, where he was an overnight
security guard.
A Pima County Superior Court jury deliberated five hours.
Prosecutors said Towers, 55, was killed as part of a satanic ritual by Doty,
who believed he could attain magical powers if he killed a Caucasian during
the spring equinox. The equinox occurred on the date Towers was killed.
Prosecutors introduced letters, poems and other writings, rife with violent
images, that detailed Doty's beliefs in a religion he created that blends
Satanism and white supremacy. They also used physical evidence to link Doty
to the murder weapon.
Doty still faces first-degree murder charges in the death of Robyn Hay, an
eegee's manager found slain six days after Towers' death; and the April 9,
2000, death of Joseph McDowell, who died when Doty, fleeing deputies,
wrecked his car.
JoDee Rudd, Towers' niece, shed tears outside the courtroom after the
verdict was read. She said the experience had been overwhelmingly difficult
for her family and said she was grateful to the jurors.
"Those people did what they thought was right," Rudd said.
Towers' parents also shed "tears of thankfulness," said Pat Hemersbach, a
Pima County Victim Witness advocate who talked to Towers' parents after the
verdict was read. His parents did not attend the verdict.
Jurors spent five hours going over the evidence, even though foreman Quinn
Trubee said they agreed on Doty's guilt from the outset.
"But nevertheless, we wanted to go over things very systematically to make
sure there wasn't anything we missed,'' he said. He said they found
"overwhelming circumstantial and physical evidence."
"I would say the jurors were very conscientious, very astute, very
interested and very determined to do the right thing," he said. Even so,
Trubee said finding someone guilty of a serious crime isn't easy.
"To those that haven't served on a jury, it is a real difficult thing to do,
and one takes their job extremely seriously," he said. He commended his
fellow jurors for "doing what is not easy for any human being to do."
Prosecutor David White said the community is indebted to Marana police and
the Pima County Sheriff's Department, which both collected evidence.
"Some murders are worse than others, and this is one of the worst," said
White.
Richard Parrish, one of Doty's attorneys, said Doty was convicted on
evidence of bad character, not evidence of a crime. He said when he files an
appeal, "there are very profound First Amendment issues to be dealt with by
the appellate courts."
"I believe the admission of writings, which tended to destroy the character
of the defendant while having really nothing to do with the evidence of
murder, destroyed his ability to get a fair trial," Parrish said.
Parrish said he was not surprised by the verdict. He knew Doty's writings
made him look like "such an evil person that it would be very influential. I
really feel the evidence of murder was minuscule and the evidence of bad
character was monumental."
White said it was the defense's case that was weak.
"Mr. Parrish is a good lawyer. He had no evidence to put on. I know what he
had, and he didn't have anything," said White.
A hearing will be held next week to set a sentencing date.
Towers' distraught family members did not want to talk on Friday, but in the
past they've described him as an extremely intelligent, kind, gentle man who
loved reading and learning new languages. He liked working as a security
guard because it gave him time to study subjects that interested him.
Towers also enjoyed writing, and his words were a counterpoint to the
violent ravings of his killer.
They dealt with various subjects including the alienation felt by people
with high IQs. Towers was a member of MENSA, a high-IQ society. Members of
similar societies have posted tributes to him on the Internet and have
posted some of his essays.
Towers earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of
Arizona and served in the Air Force.
* Contact Joseph Barrios at 573-4241 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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