South Carolina Executes Richard Moore for Murder

Richard Moore, a 59-year-old inmate in South Carolina, was executed by lethal injection on Friday for the 1999 murder of convenience store clerk James Mahoney, despite widespread appeals for clemency. Notably, three jurors from his trial, the trial judge, and various advocates urged Governor Henry McMaster to commute Moore's death sentence to life in prison, citing his reformation during incarceration and potential self-defense during the crime. Moore was convicted of a fatal shooting that occurred when he wrestled a gun from Mahoney while attempting to rob the store, an act his lawyers argued was not premeditated. Governor McMaster denied clemency, adhering to a precedent in South Carolina where no governor has ever reduced a death sentence. Activists protesting the execution argue that the case reflects broader issues of racial bias and unfair trials, highlighting that Moore is the only Black inmate on death row convicted by an all-white jury. Moore expressed remorse for his actions in his final words, addressing Mahoney's family and thanking his own for their support.