What did Richard Moore do? South Carolina death row inmate chooses firing squad over electric chair for execution

Richard Moore, a 57-year-old South Carolina death row inmate, has reportedly decided to be executed by the firing squad over an electric chair. He is the first man to be executed in the state in nearly a decade and also the first prisoner to face the choice of execution methods.

Moore was convicted in 2001 for the 1999 killing of a store clerk during an attempted robbery. He was placed on death row for more than two decades, and his initial 2002 execution by lethal injection was delayed until 2020.

However, as the state failed to find the necessary drug for the lethal injection, it included the firing squad as an option.

Last year, electrocution was made the default method of execution in South Carolina, but prisoners were given a chance to opt for the firing squad instead.

According to CBS News, Moore wrote an official statement about his decision and referred to both methods as “unconstitutional”:

“I believe this election is forcing me to choose between two unconstitutional methods of execution, and I do not intend to waive any challenges to electrocution or firing squad by making an election.”

If executed on April 29, 2022, Moore would be the first person to be executed in South Carolina since Jeffrey Motts’ execution in 2011.

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A look into Richard Moore’s criminal offense

On September 16, 1999, Richard Moore reportedly entered Nikki’s Speedy Mart while looking for money in an attempted robbery. He ended up getting into a struggle with store clerk James Mahoney.

Prosecutors alleged that Mahoney pulled out a gun that was initially taken away by Moore. However, the former started using another gun, leading to a gunfight. Mahoney reportedly shot Moore in the arm, and the latter responded by shooting him in the chest.

At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in “self-defense,” and some of his supporters argued that his crime did not rise to the level of the verdict of the death penalty.

His attorney, Lindsey Vann, told CNN that they have asked the state Supreme Court to put the execution on hold to give them time to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

In a separate appeal, Moore claimed that the death sentence was “disproportionate to penalties” imposed in similar cases. The appeal was rejected earlier this month.

Associate Justice Kaye Hearn also mentioned that the “death penalty should be reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes” and shared that she does not believe “Moore's crimes rise to that level.”

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Who is Richard Moore?

Richard Moore is a convicted murderer on death row in South California (Image via BuzzWorld/Twitter)

Richard Moore is a 57-year-old convicted prisoner on death row in South California. Prior to his arrest, he was a resident of Spartanburg. He was convicted on weapons and burglary charges in Michigan in the 1980s.

Moore was also accused of punching Michelle Crowder of Spartanburg County in the neck and beating her fiance before stealing the former’s purse in 1991. He also pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery in 1997.

After shooting James Mahoney in the Nikki’s Speedy Mart robbery attempt, Moore allegedly fled the scene with $1,408 and bought cocaine from a nearby residence. He also shot at customer Terry Dean Hadden at the time.

A jury consisting of seven women and five men convicted Moore of murder for the fatal shooting of Mahoney on November 14, 2020. He received the death penalty on November 16, 2020, and is scheduled to be executed on April 29, 2022.