South Carolina authorities revealed that death row inmate Richard Moore’s last meal was steak cooked medium, fried catfish and shrimp, scalloped potatoes, green peas, broccoli with cheese, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake and grape juice.
Richard Moore, who was executed by injection this Friday, at 6 p.m. in South Carolina for the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk back in 1999, made a series of appeals after claiming his case wasn’t fair – but they failed, and ultimately Governor Henry McMaster decided against clemency.
No governor in South Carolina has granted in the past 44 executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. However, governors in 24 other states have done so. This would be the second execution since reinstating the death penalty in South Carolina. After Moore’s death, there are now 30 people remaining on death row.
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His daughter described him as a ‘great man’ and a good man, who ‘loves god,’ and paints scenes of Jesus from his jail cell.
Three jurors from Moore’s 2001 trial have written letters urging Republican Governor McMaster to commute his sentence to life without parole. They are joined by a former state prison director, Moore’s trial judge, his son and daughter, several childhood friends, and various pastors.
All argue that Moore, now 59, is a changed man who loves God, cherishes his new grandchildren as best he can, assists guards in maintaining order, and mentors fellow inmates. His drug addiction, they say, clouded his judgment leading to the shootout where James Mahoney lost his life, according to the clemency petition.
His execution date has been postponed twice as the state navigated through issues causing a 13-year hiatus in the death penalty, including companies refusing to sell lethal injection drugs to the state, an obstacle overcome by passing a secrecy law.
This Friday, the state is set to execute four more inmates who have exhausted their appeals, with their executions scheduled at five-week intervals throughout the spring. While prosecutors and Mahoney’s family have remained silent in recent weeks, they have previously expressed their deep pain and desire for justice.
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Moore’s current legal team has criticized his original lawyers for not thoroughly examining the crime scene and failing to challenge the prosecution’s claim that Moore, initially unarmed, shot at a customer with the intention to rob the store.
The story goes that a disagreement over 12 cents led to a violent altercation between Moore and the clerk. Moore alleges that he wrestled a gun from Mahoney’s hand after the latter pulled it on him, only for the clerk to draw a second weapon.
During the ensuing struggle, Moore was shot in the arm but managed to return fire, hitting Mahoney in the chest. He then went behind the counter and stole approximately $1,400.
Moore’s attorneys argue that his case is unique on South Carolinas death row, as he began his crime unarmed and without intent to kill. Jon Ozmint, a former prosecutor and director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections from 2003 to 2011, has joined those calling for clemency, stating that Moore’s crime does not fit the ‘worst-of-the-worst’ category typically associated with death penalty cases.
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