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Jurors, judge and former prison director all ask for mercy for condemned South Carolina inmate

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Jurors, judge and former prison director all ask for mercy for condemned South Carolina inmate


COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina death row inmate Richard Moore has more than 20 people asking the governor to spare his life in a clemency petition filed Wednesday, just two days before he is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the 1999 killing of a store clerk.

There are two jurors and the judge from his original trial. There is a former director of the state prison system who says Moore deeply regrets his crime and is a force for good behind bars both for fellow inmates and his children and grandchildren.

Also asking for clemency are six childhood friends, five relatives, several former attorneys who said Moore still checks on their families after they couldn’t keep him off death row, and the partner of a psychologist whose examination of Moore led to a deep friendship for them both, according to Moore’s petition.

“I have often wondered why Richard would rather spend his life in a prison cell than end this hell he must encounter every day. When I asked him, he told me that he finds that he now has something to offer the world,” Ravi Walsh wrote in 42 pages of letters sent to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, the sole person with the power to take Moore off death row.

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No governor has offered clemency to any of the 44 inmates executed in South Carolina since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume in 1976. No other state has put so many inmates to death without sparing anyone.

McMaster has promised to review Moore’s petition thoroughly. As is customary, the governor has said he won’t announce his decision until minutes before Friday’s scheduled 6 p.m. EDT execution.

Moore’s lawyers said clemency is an act of grace and mercy and should mostly focus on what Moore, 59, has done since he shot and killed James Mahoney in a shootout at a Spartanburg convenience store in September 1999.

This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state’s death chamber in Columbia, S.C., including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. Credit: AP/Uncredited

Moore is a born-again Christian who mentors his fellow inmates on isolated death row, and if his sentence is reduced to life without parole, his good influence can spread to many more prisoners, said Jon Ozmint, who was director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections from 2003 to 2011.

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“His story and manner of living would allow him to be an influential force for good in the general population with an ability to have a positive impact on the most recalcitrant and hopeless of young offenders,” wrote Ozmint, adding he supports the death penalty and has never advocated for another inmate for clemency.

The petition includes a video with segments of an interview with Moore.

“This is definitely part of my life I wish I could change. I took a life. I took someone’s life. I broke the family of the deceased,” Moore said. “I pray for the forgiveness of that particular family.”

This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of...

This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the witness room in the execution chamber at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C. Credit: AP

Prosecutors and the family of Mahoney have not spoken publicly in the weeks leading up to the execution. In the past, Mahoney’s family have said they suffered deeply and want justice to be served.

Moore’s clemency petition said his attorneys didn’t provide him with the best defense at his 2001 trial. They include a different analysis of the crime scene along with Moore’s version of what happened that shows the clerk pulled a gun on Moore after the two argued because he was 12 cents short for what he wanted to buy.

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Moore said he wrestled that gun from the clerk’s hand and Mahoney pulled a second weapon. Moore was shot in the arm and fired back, killing Mahoney with a bullet to the chest. Moore then went behind the counter and stole about $1,300.

No one else on South Carolina’s death row started their crime unarmed and with no intention to kill, Moore’s current attorneys said.

Ozmint and others said the death penalty should be reserved for the worst crimes and not sought arbitrarily. Current Solicitor Barry Barnette, who was an assistant prosecutor on Moore’s case, didn’t seek the death penalty several years ago for Todd Kohlhepp, who killed seven people including a woman he raped and tortured for days.

Lawyers for Moore, who is Black, also have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution to let a lower court review whether it was fair that no African Americans were on the jury that considered Moore’s fate in Spartanburg County, which was 20% Black in the 2000 U.S. Census.

Moore’s son and daughter said he has remained engaged in their lives. He now has grandchildren whom he sees on video calls. Several letter writers mentioned the harm to them if Moore is removed from their lives.

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“He does not make excuses for his actions — his only interest is staying alive so he can serve as an example to get those most at risk of going down a similar path and so he can play as much of a role as possible in the lives of his family,” son Lyndall Moore said,

In a video with the clemency petition, Ozmint said when he paid his last visit to inmates before their executions he would tell them that he would “see them on the other side.” He said the most compelling reason to give Richard Moore mercy is that he will be at peace with whatever is decided — whether he is in heaven or left on Earth to do good deeds.

“I know I’ll see Richard on the other side. I just don’t know when that will be,” Ozmint said. “I hope that Gov. McMaster will give Richard the rest of his life to pour into the lives of others.”



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South Carolina Adds OL Rodney Newsom Jr. To The Portal Class

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South Carolina Adds OL Rodney Newsom Jr. To The Portal Class


South Carolina added yet another member to it’s OL room today with the addition of WKU Transfer Rodney Newsom Jr. He joined WKU last off-season after spending a year at Itawamba Community College after initially signing with Memphis out of high school.

Newsom Jr. played in 14 games for the Hilltoppers in 2024, and should still have at least 2 years of eligibility remaining. He originally attended Briarcrest Christian High School in Memphis and he even got some early attention from fellow SEC foe Tennessee.

In this portal cycle, Newsom heard a lot from Arkansas and Mississippi State, but the Gamecocks were able to get him over the finish line, where he joins fellow transfer Nick Sharpe as important depth pieces for an OL filled with several good high school recruiting classes, but yet to fully realize all of that potential.

With those two adds, it’s still possible the Gamecocks will kick the tires at Center before the cycle is over, but still should feel much better about it’s depth with two additions that have logged some quality snaps at the college level.

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Former Western Kentucky Offensive Lineman Rodney Newsom to Transfer to South Carolina

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Former Western Kentucky Offensive Lineman Rodney Newsom to Transfer to South Carolina


South Carolina continues to bolster its offensive line depth, as former Western Kentucky guard Rodney Newsom is expected to transfer to the Gamecocks

Newsom, who was one of the top-performing interior offensive linemen in Conference USA this season, brings experience and proven ability to the South Carolina offensive line unit. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Newsom earned the fourth-highest grade among all Conference USA guards in 2023 and boasted the second-highest pass-blocking grade in the conference.

Standing out with his versatility and ability to protect the quarterback, Newsom’s addition is a significant move for South Carolina as they aim to strengthen their trenches ahead of next season.

Newsom’s impact was also recognized nationally. On3 Sports recently ranked him as one of the top 10 interior offensive linemen in the transfer portal, citing his consistency, technical skill, and high ceiling.

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South Carolina’s offensive line has faced challenges in recent years, but the Gamecocks have prioritized recruiting and transfer portal additions to shore up the position. With Newsom expected to join the program, he could compete for a starting role immediately and provide veteran leadership to a young and developing offensive line group.

This move also highlights South Carolina’s ability to recruit high-caliber talent from the portal, especially players who excel in specific areas like pass protection. Head coach Shane Beamer and his staff continue to address critical needs, ensuring that the team has the depth and talent necessary to compete in the SEC.

With his experience at Western Kentucky and a proven track record, Newsom has the tools to make an immediate impact in Columbia.

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South Carolina Football Team Scores Massive QB Update

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South Carolina Football Team Scores Massive QB Update


South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is probably popping bottles of champagne to celebrate his new QB addition.

Former Ohio State QB Air Noland announced Monday night that he’s taking his talents from Columbus to the Gamecocks in Columbia.

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He has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2024. You can check out his official announcement below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Air Noland transfers from Ohio State to South Carolina.

For those who might have forgotten, Air Noland was supposed to be the next big time player for the Buckeyes. Ryan Day’s staff convinced him to commit over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas A&M, Utah and several other major programs.

The consensus top-10 QB recruit ultimately landed with the Buckeyes, and he didn’t last long. It’s not too different from Quinn Ewers also taking a redshirt and then dipping out.

Why is he leaving? There are likely many reasons, but the Buckeyes are also grooming former five-star recruit Julian Sayin to be QB1 and five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair is a member of the incoming class. There’s only so much room for QBs on the roster, and Air Noland must have thought he was about to be the odd man out.

As for South Carolina, Beamer just landed himself a legit QB prospect with plenty of potential. The young man had so many suitors coming out of high school because he’s ridiculously talented. Now, he’s stacking up talent in the QB room.

Starting LaNorris Sellers will remain the starter in 2025 and then could end up leaving for the NFL after his redshirt sophomore season. That would mean Noland would sit for another year developing and then could be the runaway favorite to be the starting QB for Shane Beamer’s program.

It’s best to have options, and that’s exactly what the South Carolina coach now has.

What do you think of the transfer addition? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.





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