Convicted murderer Richard Bernard Moore was executed by the state of South Carolina on Friday night, November 1, 2024. Moore, aged 59, received a lethal injection at 6:24 p.m. EDT for the fatal shooting of convenience store clerk James Mahoney in 1999.
Moore became the 45th person to be executed in South Carolina since executions resumed in 1976, and he was only the second person put to death since 2011. Just weeks earlier, the state executed Freddie Eugene Owens, marking the first execution in the state in over thirteen years.
The execution of Moore sparked controversy, with questions raised about the influence of political factors in the original decision to pursue the death penalty against him. His defense team argued that he was unarmed during the initial part of the robbery, suggesting that it may not have met the legal criteria for a capital case.
In the days leading up to his execution, three jurors from the panel that sentenced him to death voiced their support for commuting his sentence to life in prison without parole. Additionally, former trial judge Gary Clary, an ex-director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, and a former Supreme Court justice also advocated for clemency.
Despite these appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to intervene, leaving South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster as the last possible avenue for clemency. However, the governor also decided against intervention, stating he had carefully reviewed the case and spoken with Mahoney’s family.
Moore’s case dates back to September 16, 1999, when he entered Nikki’s Speedy Mart intending to rob the store to support his drug habit. He was unarmed at first, but during the encounter, Mahoney drew a weapon, leading to a struggle where Moore managed to take the gun from him. In the ensuing chaos, Moore shot and killed Mahoney while also robbing the store of over $1,400.
South Carolina law permits the death penalty in murder cases that meet certain aggravating conditions, such as committing a murder for financial gain. Although there were mixed opinions about the appropriateness of the death sentence in Moore’s case, the robbery met the necessary criteria for it to be pursued.
The execution and the circumstances surrounding it have reignited discussions about the death penalty in South Carolina, especially considering the calls for reconsideration from individuals involved in the case.
