South Carolina's high court has scheduled the execution of a man who killed a store clerk 25 years ago for November 1st. Richard Moore, a Black man, was convicted of fatally shooting James Mahoney during a robbery at Nikki’s Speedy Mart in Spartanburg County in September 1999. Moore is the only individual on South Carolina's death row to have been convicted by an all-white jury.
After a 13-year hiatus, South Carolina has resumed capital punishment, with plans for six executions in six months. The state faced challenges in obtaining lethal injection drugs due to pharmaceutical companies' concerns about disclosing their involvement. However, a new law allowing the secrecy of drug suppliers and a recent court ruling have paved the way for executions to resume.
Freddie Owens was the first inmate to be executed by lethal injection on September 20th, following the reopening of the death chamber. Four other inmates with exhausted appeals are also slated for execution every five weeks. Moore, who has the option of choosing between lethal injection, electrocution, or a firing squad, is expected to make his decision soon.
The state's prisons director must confirm the availability of all three execution methods, ensuring the stability and correct mixing of the lethal injection drug. South Carolina will now use a single drug, pentobarbital, for lethal injections, aligning with the federal government's protocol.
Moore, 59, will have the opportunity to request clemency from Governor Henry McMaster and seek a reduction of his sentence to life without parole. His defense team is pursuing final appeals, arguing that Moore acted in self-defense and had no intention of killing Mahoney during the robbery.
Despite Moore's efforts to rehabilitate other prisoners while incarcerated, his death sentence remains in place. South Carolina has executed 44 inmates since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, with a decline in the death row population in recent years due to successful appeals and natural causes.
