By james art 
South Carolina put Richard Moore to death by lethal injection on Friday for the fatal 1999 shooting of a convenience store clerk, despite widespread appeals for mercy from parties that included three jurors and the judge at his trial, a former prison director, pastors and members of his family. Moore, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. ET, according to the AP. His last meal: steak medium, fried catfish and shrimp, sliced potatoes, green peas, broccoli with cheese, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake and grape juice. Moore was convicted of killing James Mahoney, the Spartanburg clerk, in September 1999 and sentenced to death two years later. Moore entered the store unarmed, took a gun from the victim when it was pointed at him, and fatally shot him in the chest while the victim shot him with a second gun in the arm.
Moore’s lawyers had asked Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to commute his sentence to life in prison without parole because of his unblemished record in prison and his willingness to mentor other inmates. They also said it would be unfair to execute someone for what could be considered self-defense and unfair that Moore, who was black, was the only inmate on the state’s death row convicted by a jury without a single African American. But McMaster refused to pardon. In a letter, he did not give a reason, but said he had reviewed all the items presented by Moore’s attorneys and had spoken with the victim’s family. No South Carolina governor has commuted the death penalty, and 45 executions have already taken place in the state since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to resume them nearly 50 years ago.
Three jurors who sentenced Moore to death in 2001 sent letters asking McMaster to commute his sentence to life without parole. They were joined by a former state prison warden, Moore’s judge, his son and daughter, half a dozen childhood friends and several pastors. They all said Moore was a changed man who loved God, adored his grandchildren, helped guards keep the peace and mentored other inmates, according to the clemency petition. “He was not a danger to anyone, and the state has eliminated a shining example of reform and rehabilitation,” the law firm Justice 360, which represents Moore, said in a statement. Prosecutors and Mahoney’s relatives did not speak publicly in the weeks before the execution and have not spoken since. In the past, family members have said they suffered deeply and wanted justice to be served. More here.
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