Richard Moore’s last words before execution in South Carolina

A South Carolina inmate, Richard Moore, was executed by lethal injection Friday for the 1999 murder of a store clerk, despite widespread calls for clemency.

Moore was the second person executed in the state in just over a month after a 13-year hiatus, following problems obtaining drugs for the lethal injection protocol. The 59 year old was pronounced dead at 6:24 pm after governor henry mcmaster and the Supreme Court has denied his request to halt the execution. Two years ago, when we discussed Moore’s case, Republican McMaster said he would not issue a lump sum payment.

When the execution began, Moore was strapped to a stretcher, with a blanket covering most of his body. Witnesses said he looked at the ceiling with his eyes closed as the deadly drug entered his body, before taking between four and six deep breaths. The state reported.

Witnesses included two family members of James Mahoney, Moore’s attorney, Lindsey Vann, his spiritual advisor, three journalists, a South Carolina Department of Corrections official, an agent from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Spartanburg attorney Barry Barnette, who played a role in the case. Moore sued in 2001. Barnette and members of Mahoney’s family stared stoically ahead as Moore took his last breaths. according to The state. Outside, about 40 people, including an attorney representing Moore, death penalty opponents and members of the clergy, held a prayer vigil.

In a closing statement read out at a news conference, Moore said: “To the family of Mr. James Mahoney: I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow I am causing you all. To my children and granddaughters, I love you and I am so proud of you. Thank you for the joy you have brought into my life.

“To all my family and friends – new and old – thank you for your love and support.”

His last meal was medium cooked steak, fried catfish and shrimp, scalloped potatoes, green peas, broccoli and cheese, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake, and grape juice.

Moore was the last person left on South Carolina’s death row and was convicted by a jury with no black members, his lawyers say. He is also believed to be the only person in South Carolina capital punishment history to be executed for armed robbery and not bring the deadly weapon to the scene.

Moore was found guilty of murdering convenience store clerk Mahoney during a 1999 robbery in Spartanburg County. Prosecutors say Moore entered the store without a weapon and managed to wrestle away Mahoney’s gun, which he pulled after getting into an argument with Moore over being 12 cents short. Mahoney then retrieved a second firearm and shot Moore in the arm, but Moore responded by fatally shooting Mahoney in the head. Prosecutors said Moore then fled the scene with a bag containing more than $1,400 in cash.

Prosecutors accused Moore of robbing the store to finance his crack habit. Over the years, however, Moore claimed he was there to buy beer and cigarettes. In 2001 he was sentenced to death.

Failed calls

Moore appealed his sentence several times, most recently on the grounds that prosecutors unlawfully struck two black jurors because of their race in his 2001 murder trial, which the state denied. In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors cannot strike a potential juror based solely on race. If disputed, the state must provide a “race-neutral” reason for excluding the candidate.

Trey Gowdy — a prosecutor in Moore’s case who later served four terms as a Republican congressman — told the judge that one black jury candidate was struck primarily for allegedly concealing her criminal record during questioning, while another was excluded because of their son was convicted of murder. Gowdy noted that a white juror with a similar family situation had also been removed. Moreover, he pointed out that the final jury consisted of a Spanish member.

But in a brief filed with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, South Carolina’s attorney general argued that it was too late for Moore to raise the issue of jurors’ race because it had not been mentioned in previous appeals. They argued that Moore killed Mahoney in self-defense.

His calls received national attention, with more than two dozen people — including two jurors, the judge from Moore’s original trial and a former warden of the state prison system — asking McMaster to spare Moore’s life by granting him clemency, The Associated Press reported.

Moore’s son, Lyndall, who was four when his father was charged, also argued that his father deserved mercy.

“He’s not some monster,” Lyndall said The state. “He’s just a guy who’s going through a hard time, but always a guy with a good heart, you know, a normal guy trying to be a good father.”

While in prison, Moore reportedly became a devout Christian, devoted himself to mentoring other inmates and took up painting. He also encouraged his children to avoid his own missteps.

Former Department of Corrections Director Jon Ozmint described Moore as a “reliable, consistent force for good on death row,” according to The stateand argued that commuting Moore’s sentence could serve as a powerful example of redemption. Ozmint added: “Perhaps the most compelling reason to commute Richard’s sentence is precisely because he is at peace with whatever decision you make.”