South Carolina executes inmate Richard Moore despite pleas from jurors, judges and others to spare his life – PEOPLE

South Carolina has executed death row inmate Richard Moore for the 1999 slaying of a convenience store clerk, despite calls for clemency from some of his former jurors, the judge at his original trial, pastors, a former director of state prison and members of his family.

On Friday, Nov. 1, Moore, 59, was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. local time, according to Post and courier.

Moore’s execution took place 23 years after he was convicted of murdering clerk James Mahoney. According to the Associated Press, Moore entered the store unarmed, took a gun that the victim pointed at him and fatally shot him in the chest when Mahoney shot him in the arm.

The fatal shooting happened at Nikki’s Speedy Mart in Spartanburg County. Moore himself claimed he had no intention of robbing the place before a confrontation with Mahoney, according to Post and courier.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster decided against clemency after Moore’s lawyers asked him to reduce his sentence to life in prison without parole, though Moore’s legal team cited a clean prison record and argued it would be unfair to execute him someone for an act that could be considered self-defense according to the outcome.

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

per Post and courierwhich cited the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the victim was white and Moore’s jury consisted of seven white women, four white men and one Hispanic.

According to the AP, his lawyers argued that an execution would be unjust, given that Moore is the last person on South Carolina’s death row to be convicted by a jury that did not include a black person, and that 20 percent of Spartanburg County residents are black.

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

“He’s a human being who makes mistakes,” Moore’s son Lyndell Moore told the publication. “And this particular mistake resulted in the death of another human being. But his sentence is completely out of proportion to the actual crime.

Among those present for the arraignment were Moore’s attorney of 10 years, Lindsey Vann, members of the victim’s family and attorney Barry Barnett, who was on the prosecution team.

Prison spokeswoman Christy Shane read his last words aloud at a media conference after he was executed. “To the family of Mr. James Mahoney, I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow I have caused you all,” he said. “To my children and grandchildren, I love you and I am proud of you. Thank you for the joy you brought into my life. To all my family and friends, new and old, thank you for your love and support.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, coverage of current trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.

per Post and courierMoore is the second inmate in South Carolina to be executed since the state resumed the trial in September after 13 years. He was executed with a lethal dose of the antidepressant pentobarbital, according to the publication.

Justice 360, which represented Moore, said South Carolina “needlessly took the life of Richard Moore — a loving father and grandfather, loyal friend and devoted follower of Christ.” They also argued that the state had “eliminated a shining example of reform and rehabilitation,” according to Post and courier.

“This execution highlights the flaws in South Carolina’s death penalty system. Who is executed versus who is allowed to live out their lives in prison seems to be based on no more than chance, race, or status. It is intolerable that our state should impose the ultimate punishment in such a casual manner,” Justice 360 ​​said, according to the AP.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Moore’s request to reconsider the jury question in his case a day before he was to be executed, according to Post and courier.

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