Richard Moore was put to death by lethal injection in South Carolina for the 1999 fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk. Despite pleas for mercy from various parties, including three jurors and the judge from his trial, a former prison director, pastors, and his family, Moore was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. He was convicted of killing the store clerk and sentenced to death two years later. Moore’s lawyers had appealed to Governor Henry McMaster to reduce his sentence to life in prison without parole, citing his spotless prison record and willingness to mentor other inmates. However, McMaster refused clemency, making Moore the only inmate on the state’s death row convicted by a jury without any African Americans.
Unlike previous executions, media witnesses arrived to find the curtain to the death chamber open, with Moore’s last words having already been read by his lawyer of 10 years, Lindsey Vann. Moore showed no obvious signs of discomfort during the lethal injection process. His final meal consisted of steak, fried catfish, shrimp, scalloped potatoes, and various other items. Two members of the victim’s family, along with other spectators, watched as the execution took place. Afterward, an official read Moore’s last words, in which he apologized to the victim’s family and expressed love and pride for his own children and grandchildren.
Several parties, including three jurors who condemned Moore to death in 2001, a former state prison director, his trial judge, his son and daughter, childhood friends, and pastors, had appealed for clemency. They described Moore as a changed man who had become religious, was loving towards his family, and had helped keep the peace in prison. Moore’s lawyers had highlighted issues with his original trial, pointing out that his attorneys did not carefully analyze the crime scene and left unchallenged the contention that Moore had intended to commit a robbery when he shot the victim in self-defense. Moore had previously had two execution dates postponed due to issues with obtaining lethal injection drugs, but the state had passed a secrecy law to overcome this hurdle.
Governor McMaster had stated that he would review all materials sent by Moore’s lawyers before making a decision on clemency. Moore had expressed remorse for the killing of the store clerk in an interview accompanying his clemency petition, saying he wished he could change that part of his life. His lawyers argued that his trial was unfair, as there were no African Americans on the jury, despite a significant Black population in Spartanburg County. They also pointed out that no other inmate on South Carolina’s death row had started their crime unarmed and with no intent to kill. Moore’s son and daughter spoke about his impact on their lives, with his daughter joining the Air Force at his encouragement and maintaining a positive relationship despite his incarceration.
