Sun Nov 03 14:10:00 UTC 2024: ## South Carolina Executes Richard Moore Despite Racial Bias Claims in Jury Selection
**COLUMBIA, SC** – Richard Moore, a 59-year-old man convicted of killing a convenience store clerk in 1999, was executed by lethal injection on Friday evening in South Carolina. The execution comes despite Moore’s ongoing claims of racial bias in the jury selection process that led to his conviction.
Moore’s attorneys argued that prosecutors in his 2001 murder trial systematically excluded Black people from the jury, which was ultimately all-White. They also asserted that Moore acted in self-defense during the robbery.
The US Supreme Court declined to halt the execution on Thursday, and Governor Henry McMaster denied Moore’s clemency request. Despite pleas for mercy from multiple individuals, including two jurors from the original trial, McMaster maintained that he would not commute the sentence.
Moore’s case has drawn significant attention due to the fact that he was the last person on South Carolina’s death row convicted by a jury with no Black members. His execution marks the second since the state resumed capital punishment following a 13-year pause.
Moore’s attorneys argued that the state’s failure to address the racial bias in his trial violated his constitutional rights. They pointed to a 1986 Supreme Court ruling stating that prosecutors cannot strike a potential juror solely based on race.
However, South Carolina officials countered that Moore had already raised similar claims in previous appeals and lost. They also noted that one of the jurors in his trial was Hispanic.
Despite the legal challenges and calls for clemency, the state carried out the execution, further fueling the ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty and its application in the United States.
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