Governor Henry McMaster denies death row inmate Richard Moore a plea for clemency

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Governor Henry McMaster has dismissed the case of death row inmate Richard Moore.

Moore will be executed by lethal injection Friday after being sentenced to death for the September 1999 death of James Mahoney, a Spartanburg supermarket worker.

He entered the store unarmed – prosecutors say he intended to rob it – while his lawyers claim that instead an argument broke out between Moore and the clerk because he was missing change.

The two got into a shootout using the clerk's guns, Moore shot him and then left the store with stolen cash.

Moore's lawyers say his death sentence is an excessive punishment – and argue that he is also currently the only death row inmate in South Carolina to be convicted by an all-white jury.

McMaster's decision came after protesters handed him a petition signed by thousands calling on him to grant Moore clemency.

No South Carolina governor in modern history has granted clemency to a death row inmate.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to stop Moore's execution.

“Grace is a question of grace, a question of mercy. There is no standard. There is no real law about it. But as I've said all along and keep saying, I planned to check everything I can. … There is nothing insignificant about a death penalty case. I think they’re all a little different, but they’re all very serious considerations,” McMaster said before making his decision.

Moore is the second death row inmate to be executed in South Carolina. The first was Freddie Owens, who died by lethal injection on Friday, September 20th.

Feel more informed, prepared and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our Email newsletterAnd Download our apps. Do you have any feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.