Columbia, SC (WOLO) — After sitting on death row for more than 20 years, the man convicted of killing store clerk James Mahoney back in 1999 was put to death by lethal injection Friday night. Moore admitted to the killing, but maintained he did so in self defense. The U.S. Supreme court declined to stop the execution, after Moore claimed the state removed two black jurors from his trial due to their race. Moore’s attorneys asked for clemency a  request denied by Governor McMaster who issued a letter to Department of Corrections Director Brian Stirling just after 6pm Friday confirming that after he “carefully reviewed and thoughtfully considered ” the matter a decision was made to decline executive clemency allowing the state to proceed with Moore’s scheduled death. According to the Associated Press, Moore was pronounced dead at 6:24 pm Friday November 1, 2024. Several groups have spoken out concerning the death of Moore, the second death row inmate killed in the last two months in South Carolina. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a brief statement Friday saying, “Richard Moore’s case was a textbook example of the arbitrariness of the death penalty. Mr. Moore was not ‘the worst of the worst.’ He was a man who worked to better himself and serve those around him, even in the dehumanizing confines of Death Row. The state should not have killed him.” The organization Justice 360 also weighed in on the execution of Moore saying in part, “This execution underscores the flaws in South Carolina’s death penalty system. Who is executed versus who is allowed to live out their lives in prison appears to be based on no more than chance, race, or status. It is intolerable that our State metes out the ultimate punishment in such a haphazard way.” Categories: Local News, News, Richland, State