On Thursday the US Supreme Court declined to halt the execution of Richard Moore, a Black South Carolina inmate who is scheduled for lethal injection on Friday. His legal team contends Moore was convicted by a jury void of African American members; they say the same isn't true of any other death row inmate in the state. Moore's last hope lies with Governor Henry McMaster, but intervention is unlikely: No governor in the state has granted clemency to any death row inmate in the last 50 years.
Moore, 59, was convicted for the 1999 killing of convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg during an altercation involving two firearms. Prosecutors claim Moore attempted to rob the store, while he insists an argument that began when he was a few cents short for the cigarettes and beer he wanted to buy led to Mahoney pointing a gun, which Moore seized; Moore says Mahoney pulled out another gun, and he shot Mahoney in self-defense. Moore then took $1,400 from the store and left without contacting authorities. His attorneys emphasize the incident began with Moore unarmed.
Moore would be the state's second execution since it resumed the practice in September after a 13-year hiatus. His lawyers have filed for clemency, backed by letters from various notable individuals urging a sentence reduction. Attorney Lindsey Vann states that Moore has "become a more faithful Christian" and a potential asset to the prison community. "Though he can never make up for the life he took, he has sought to do all he can to better the lives of those around him by bettering himself." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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