Today, November 30th, the South Carolina Supreme Court stayed the 12/4 execution date scheduled for Richard Moore. In its stay order, the Court explained it had “been advised the South Carolina Department of Corrections does not have, and will not be able to obtain, the drugs required for execution by lethal injection by December 4,… Read More →
Richard Bernard Moore
Scheduled for Execution: STAYED (previously scheduled for 12/4/2020)
Richard Moore (55) was convicted and sentenced to death in Spartanburg County for the 1999 shooting death of convenience store clerk James Mahoney.
Moore did not bring a gun into the store. As he attempted to make a purchase, Moore and Mahoney got into an argument. Mahoney, who kept three firearms behind the counter, pulled a gun on Moore. The two men struggled over the gun and Moore was able to wrestle the pistol away from Mahoney. Mahoney then pulled a second gun and both men exchanged fire. Both men were shot; tragically, Mahoney died as a result of his injuries.
No one knows how the argument between the two started, but the prosecution alleged Moore was attempting to rob Mahoney. Even if robbery was the intent, Justice 360 research reveals no other death penalty cases like this—i.e. where the defendant did not bring a gun to a confrontation that resulted in a death.
Moore is deeply remorseful and prays for forgiveness for his actions and the pain he caused Mahoney and his family and Moore’s own children.
Moore’s regular appeals have been completed, and the State of South Carolina now plans to carry out Moore’s execution (its first since 2011) on December 4th, all while providing virtually no information about if and how it will carry out the execution (maintaining the execution date while saying they do not have lethal injection drugs) and in the midst of a global pandemic despite State law requiring 15–20 people be present for and participate in an execution in small, confined quarters.
Case News and Updates
Justice 360 Statement on State Secrecy
November 23, 2020 – Richard Moore and his attorneys are not engaging in a last-minute attempt to “cheat the executioner.” For months, even before South Carolina scheduled an execution date, they began asking the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) to provide information about how it intends to carry out Moore’s execution. Moore needs this… Read More →
Statement from Richard Moore’s Attorneys on COVID-19 and Secrecy
November 17, 2020 – On December 4, 2020, South Carolina is set to carry out its first execution in nearly a decade under an unprecedented veil of secrecy in the midst of a global pandemic. The South Carolina Department of Corrections refuses to release any information about how it intends to carry out the execution—from… Read More →