South Carolina carried out the execution of death row inmate Richard Moore for the 1999 slaying of a convenience store clerk, despite calls for clemency from some of the trial’s former jurors, the original trial judge, priests, a former state prison warden and others. members of his family.

Moore, 59, was executed by lethal injection on Friday, November 1, and was pronounced dead at 18.24 local time. Postal and Courier.

Moore’s execution came 23 years after he was convicted of murdering clerk James Mahoney. Per Associated PressMoore entered the store unarmed, grabbed the gun the victim pointed at him, and fatally shot him in the chest when Mahoney shot him in the arm.

The fatal shooting took place at Nikki’s Speedy Mart in Spartanburg County. Moore maintained that he did not intend to rob the place before confronting Mahoney. Postal and Courier.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster decided not to grant the pardon after Moore’s lawyers asked him to reduce the sentence to life without parole, even though Moore’s legal team pointed to a clean prison record and argued that it would be unjust to execute a person for a potentially criminal act . According to the outlet, it was considered self-defense.

McMaster did not give a reason for declining to grant the pardon, but said he had spoken to the victim’s family and reviewed materials provided by Moore’s attorneys, according to the AP.

Per Postal and CourierThe victim was white and Moore’s jury consisted of seven white women, four white men and one Hispanic man, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

His lawyers argued that the execution would be unjust, given that Moore was the last person on death row in South Carolina to be convicted by a non-Black jury and that 20% of Spartanburg County residents are Black, according to the AP. .

Three former jurors wrote letters to McMaster asking him to change the sentence to life without parole, as did a former state prison warden, Moore’s first trial judge, friends, pastors and Moore’s son and daughter, the AP reported.

“He’s a human being who makes mistakes,” Moore’s son, Lyndall Moore, told the press. “And this particular mistake led to the death of another human being. However, his punishment is completely disproportionate to the actual crime.”

Among those on hand for the excitement were Moore’s attorney of 10 years, Lindsey Vann, family members of the victim and Attorney Barry Barnette, who was on the prosecution team.

Prison spokeswoman Chrysti Shain read his last words aloud at a press conference after his execution. “To the family of Mr. James Mahoney, I am deeply sorry for the pain and sadness I have caused all of you,” he said. “My children and grandchildren, I love you and I am proud of you. Thank you for the happiness you bring to my life. “To all my family and friends, new and old, thank you for your love and support.”

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Per Postal and CourierMoore is the second inmate executed in South Carolina since the state restarted the process in September after 13 years. According to the outlet, he was executed with a lethal dose of the depressant drug pentobarbital.

Justice 360, which represents Moore, said South Carolina “needlessly took the life of Richard Moore, a loving father and grandfather, a devoted friend and a devoted follower of Jesus.” They also argued that the state had “disappeared a shining example of reform and rehabilitation”. Post and Courier.

“This execution highlights the flaws in South Carolina’s death penalty system. The relationship between who will be executed versus who will be allowed to spend life in prison appears to depend solely on luck, race, or status. “It is unacceptable that our state applied the final sentence so haphazardly,” Justice 360 ​​said, according to the AP.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Moore’s petition to review the juror issue in his case the day before he was to be executed. Post and Courier.

Moore’s execution in South Carolina came a month after that of Freddie Owens, the state’s first execution in 13 years.