COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Supreme Court has scheduled the execution of Richard Moore for November 1, marking a significant increase in capital punishment activities within the state after a 13-year hiatus. This execution is anticipated to be the second of six planned within approximately six months as South Carolina revives its death penalty practices.
Moore was convicted for the 1999 killing of James Mahoney during a robbery at Nikki’s Speedy Mart in Spartanburg County. Authorities report that Moore, initially unarmed, shot Mahoney after taking a gun from him during a struggle. Notably, Moore is the only individual on the state’s death row convicted by an all-white jury.
Moore’s defense argues that no unarmed individual has been executed in the state, suggesting that Moore’s case is fundamentally different. His attorney stated that the execution would represent an arbitrary act of vengeance rather than true justice, emphasizing concerns of racial bias in the judicial process.
Historically, South Carolina has been among the leading states for executions but faced challenges acquiring lethal injection drugs due to pharmaceutical companies’ reluctance to disclose their participation in executions. Recent legislation now allows the state to protect the identity of drug suppliers, facilitating the recommencement of executions following a court ruling.
Freddie Owens was executed via lethal injection on September 20, part of the state’s effort to clear its backlog of death row inmates whose appeals have expired. With the state Supreme Court granting a death warrant approximately every five weeks, further executions are on the horizon.
As part of his impending execution, Moore will have the option of choosing death by lethal injection, electrocution, or a firing squad. The prisons director is expected to confirm the availability of these methods soon, along with the necessary proofs regarding the lethal injection drug’s stability and composition.
Moore, now 59, has a limited timeframe to communicate his preferred execution method. Failure to choose will result in the default option of the electric chair. Previously, he had selected the firing squad before lethal injection was reinstated as an option.
As the execution date approaches, Moore intends to seek clemency from Governor Henry McMaster, though recent history shows that no South Carolina governor has granted clemency in capital punishment cases.
Defense attorneys have also initiated final appeals, highlighting a pattern of racial discrimination during jury selection in Moore’s case. His legal team contends that his death sentence is unjustified, asserting that he acted in self-defense during the incident.
The history of executions in South Carolina shows a decrease in the population on death row, with significant changes made since the modern reintroduction of the death penalty in 1976. As of now, the state has executed 44 inmates and currently houses 31 on death row, a decline from 63 in early 2011.
