Prison officials have informed death row inmate Richard Moore that he can select his method of execution.
On Tuesday, Moore was given the option of a firing squad, the electric chair, or lethal injection for his scheduled execution in South Carolina on November 1.
Moore, 59, faces the death penalty for the September 1999 murder of store clerk James Mahoney.
During an armed robbery at a Spartanburg County store, a confrontation ensued after Moore, initially unarmed, managed to obtain one of Mahoney’s guns. Moore sustained injuries in the altercation, while Mahoney was fatally shot in the chest.
According to state law, Moore has until October 18 to make his choice; otherwise, he will automatically face execution by electrocution.
If carried out, this would be South Carolina’s second execution after a 13-year hiatus, primarily due to difficulties in acquiring the necessary drugs for lethal injection.
Moore is currently appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution. His lawyers note that he is the only inmate on South Carolina’s death row convicted by a jury lacking African American members. Furthermore, if executed, he would be the first person in modern times in the state to be put to death after initially being unarmed and subsequently defending himself.
South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling confirmed that the electric chair, which was built in 1912, was tested last month and found operational. The state also has the necessary equipment and trained personnel for the firing squad, as indicated in a certified letter sent to Moore. Three trained volunteers can shoot at a target on the heart from a distance of 15 feet (4.6 meters).
Moore intends to appeal to Governor Henry McMaster for mercy and a commutation of his sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Historically, no South Carolina governor has granted clemency in the modern era of the death penalty.
Moore has maintained a clean prison record and has expressed a willingness to assist in rehabilitating fellow inmates while incarcerated.
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S. in 1976, South Carolina has executed 44 inmates. However, due to the recent pause in executions, the number of inmates on death row has decreased from 63 in early 2011 to 31 today, with around 20 inmates receiving alternative sentences following successful appeals, while others have died of natural causes.
