South Carolina inmate Richard Moore was executed by lethal injection on Friday for the 1999 murder of a convenience store clerk, despite widespread appeals for clemency.

Moore was the second person to be executed in the state in just over a month after a 13-year pause, prompted by difficulty obtaining drugs for its lethal injection protocol. The 59-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. after Governor Henry McMaster and the Supreme Court denied his request to halt the execution. Two years ago, in discussing Moore’s case, Republican McMaster said he wouldn’t issue a commutation.

As the execution began, Moore was strapped to a gurney, with a blanket covering most of his body. Witnesses said he faced the ceiling with his eyes closed as the lethal drug entered his body, before taking between four and six deep gasping breaths, The State reported.

Witnesses included two family members of James Mahoney, Moore’s lawyer, Lindsey Vann, his spiritual adviser, three journalists, an official from the South Carolina Department of Corrections, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent and Spartanburg Solicitor Barry Barnette, who played a role in prosecuting Moore in 2001. Barnette and members of Mahoney’s family stared stoically ahead as Moore took his last breaths, according to The State. Outside, roughly 40 people, including an attorney who represented Moore, opponents of the death penalty and members of the clergy held a prayer vigil.

In a final statement, which was read at a news conference, Moore said: “To the family of Mr. James Mahoney, I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow I cause you all. To my children and granddaughters, I love you and am so proud of you. Thank you for the joy you have brought to my life.

“To all of my family and friends — new and old — thank you for you love and support.”

His final meal was steak cooked medium, fried catfish and shrimp, scalloped potatoes, green peas, broccoli with cheese, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake and grape juice.

Moore was the last person remaining on South Carolina’s death row to be convicted by a jury with no Black members, his defense attorneys say. He is also believed to be the only person in the history of South Carolina’s death penalty executed for an armed robbery who did not bring the fatal weapon to the scene.

Moore was found guilty of killing convenience store clerk Mahoney during a 1999 robbery in Spartanburg County. According to prosecutors, Moore entered the store without a weapon and managed to wrestle away Mahoney’s handgun, which he drew after getting into an altercation with Moore because he was 12 cents short. Mahoney then reached for a second firearm, shooting Moore in the arm, but Moore responded by fatally shooting Mahoney in the head. Prosecutors said Moore then fled the scene with a bag containing over $1,400 in cash.

Prosecutors accused Moore of robbing the store to fund his crack addiction. However, over the years, Moore maintained that he was there to buy beer and cigarettes. In 2001, he was sentenced to death.

Unsuccessful Appeals

Moore appealed his sentence several times, most recently on the basis that prosecutors impermissibly struck two Black jurors because of their race in his 2001 murder case, which the state denied. In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors cannot strike a potential juror based solely on race. If challenged, the state must state a “race-neutral” reason for excluding the candidate.

Trey Gowdy – a prosecutor in Moore’s case who later served four terms as a Republican congressman – told the judge one Black jury candidate was struck primarily for allegedly hiding her criminal record during questioning, while another was excluded because their son had been convicted of murder. Gowdy noted that a white juror with a similar family situation had also been removed. Additionally, he pointed out that the final jury included a Hispanic member.

But in a brief filed Tuesday with the Supreme Court, the South Carolina attorney general argued it was too late for Moore to raise the issue of jurors’ race because it had not been mentioned in earlier appeals. They argued Moore killed Mahoney in self-defense.

His appeals gained national attention, with more than 20 people – including two jurors, the judge from Moore’s original trial and a former director of the state prison system – asking McMaster to spare Moore’s life by granting him clemency, The Associated Press reported.

Moore’s son, Lyndall, who was four when his father was charged, also argued that his father deserved mercy.

“He’s not some sort of monster,” Lyndall told The State. “He’s just a guy who struggled, but always a guy with a good heart, you know, a normal guy trying to be a good father.”

In prison, Moore reportedly became a devout Christian, dedicated himself to mentoring other inmates and took up painting. He also encouraged his children to avoid his own missteps.

Former Department of Corrections Director Jon Ozmint described Moore as a “reliable, consistent force for good on death row,” according to The State, and argued that commuting Moore’s sentence could serve as a powerful example of redemption. Ozmint added: “Perhaps the most compelling reason to commute Richard’s sentence is precisely because he is at peace with whatever decision you reach.”

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The FBI searched the home of the South Carolina pastor whose wife, Mica Miller, died by suicide in April.

FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler confirmed to Fox News that they conducted an authorized search at the home of John-Paul Miller in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday.

Local outlet Fox Carolina reported that “evidence response teams” were seen going inside the home, wearing gloves.

SC PASTOR’S WIFE MICA MILLER TOLD POLICE SHE WAS BEING TRACKED BEFORE HER SUICIDE: DOCS

The Millers’ friend, Alicia Young, told Fox News Digital that at least 25 FBI agents were at John-Paul’s home for five hours collecting evidence. The evidence collection included removing fingerprints off the doors.

Young said that John-Paul had left the residence just two minutes prior to FBI agents arriving “and they found and served him at Starbucks.”

“He was not allowed to go to his house while they were there, and he is in their custody for questioning,” she said.

MICA MILLER 911 CALL REVEALS FINAL MOMENTS BEFORE HER DEATH AS NC AUTHORITIES CHALLENGE ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina is reportedly investigating the April 27 death of 30-year-old Mica Miller of Myrtle Beach. (Facebook)

Mica, 30, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office previously confirmed.

The case received national attention, with the couple’s strained relationship being brought to the forefront. The pair was separated, and Mica filed for divorce two days before she died, according to FOX 8 Greensboro.

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMAN MICA MILLER’S HUSBAND SAYS HE TRIED TO ‘RAISE HER FROM THE DEAD’ DURING EULOGY

Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigators also determined that John-Paul “and a female that he is allegedly romantically involved with” were not in Robeson County at the time of Mica’s death.

“Investigators learned through interviews that John Paul Miller was at an athletic event in Charleston on the day of Mica Miller’s death. John Miller’s vehicle was observed traveling on Hwy 17 Bypass, in Horry County at 2:22 pm on April 27, 2024,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. “The investigation confirmed that John Miller was accompanied while traveling to and from the event in Charleston, SC.”

Mica’s friends and family have been sharing posts on social media with the hashtag, “JusticeforMica.” (Facebook)

Local authorities have adamantly pushed back against claims that Mica’s death was a homicide, saying evidence of a suicide was “clear and convincing.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital in July, Mica’s sisters said that their sister was “in the middle of war.”

“Mica was in the fight for her life. She was in the middle of war,” Mica’s sister, Anna Francis, said. “She was ready to go to war.”

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“We would like someone else to take over or take another look to see what really happened. Because we don’t believe that everything that happened has come out,” Mica’s sister, Destinee Barrientos, said.

Fox News has reached out to John-Pauls’ attorney for comment.

Voters in three of South Carolina’s Charlotte metro counties will decide the fate of nearly $1 billion in school bond referendums this election. School districts in Lancaster, Chester, and York counties are looking to expand capacity and enhance security features in campus buildings.

Meanwhile voters in Chesterfield County are being asked to renew the county school district’s penny sales tax to help fund upgrades to athletic facilities, general renovations, and expanded classroom and cafeteria spaces.

Lancaster

The largest of the referendums on the ballot is in Lancaster, where the county school district is seeking $588.15 million, mostly for the construction of four new school buildings. The district serves almost 16,000 students in 22 schools; it is looking to add an elementary school and a high school to fast-growing Indian Land (which would use $315.6 million of the bond funds); a new elementary school in Lancaster ($113.45 million); and a new elementary school in Kershaw ($95 million).

An additional $37.6 million is earmarked for districtwide facilities upgrades, while $26.5 million would pay for security, safety, and facilities upgrades in the Buford community.

The tax impact on voters, should the referendum pass, would be about $65 per year for every $100,000 of assessed property value of an owner-occupied home, and per every $10,000 of assessed vehicle value. That tax would bump to $92 per year $100,000 of assessed value of non-owner-occupied residential properties.

Chester

In Chester, voters will decide on $227 million that would fund a pair of new high schools and upgrades to another.

The new high schools would replace the current buildings in Chester and Lewisville. The upgrades would be made at Great Falls High School.

The money raised by the referendum would cover most of the costs of the projects. According to information published by the district, the referendum would pay $99.1 million towards the new high school in Chester and $100.15 million towards the new high school in Lewisville. The remaining $16.8 million to complete both projects would be paid for by the district’s capital funds – which would pay for a theater and a gym at each location.

The tax impact, according to the district, would be $230 annually per $100,000 of assessed home value, plus $34.50 for every $10,000 of assessed vehicle value. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 and a vehicle valued at $10,000, therefore, would pay an additional $264.50 per year in taxes, if the bond referendum passes.

That is a big if, however. Chester voters have denied three successive bond referendums, in 2018, 2020, and 2022.

District spokesman Chris Christoff said that following the 2022 referendum, voters stated that they had felt the district was trying “to do a little too much at one time.” In response, the district launched a series of listening sessions this past spring.

“We asked, if we were to pursue a fourth referendum, what would you want to see,” Christoff said.

A follow-up survey asked whether voters understood the capacity, security, and facilities conditions issues in the district. According to the district, about 80% of the roughly 1,000 respondents said they better understood what they would be voting on, which is a scaled-down slate of projects that no longer include athletics expansions or work to the district career center.

If the referendum fails this round, Christoff said, the district will spent about $20 million of its own capital funds to replace the roofs at Great Falls and Chester high schools, plus other funds to buy additional modular classrooms in Lewisville – the fastest-growing area of the school district, he said.

Chester County School District serves about 5,500 students, which is up from about 5,100 students in 2018-19.

York

The smallest referendum on the ballot for Pee Dee voters this election is a $90 million bond that would pay for a new middle school and expansion and renovations to a learning center in York County School District 1, in York.

According to the district, four elementary schools and one middle school are between 80% and 90% capacity in a district that continues to grow along with the Charlotte metro. As of March, almost 2,400 new homes in the City of York are on tap from development plans in place, according to the district

Therefore, the district maintains, a new middle school is needed to meet that growth as elementary students age up.

The district also wants to renovate its Pinckney Street Learning Center/York One Academy to become an early childhood center.

The tax impact on voters would be $36 additional per year for every $100,000 of assessed home value; $54 per year for every $100,000 of assessed value on second or rental properties; and $945 per year for every $1 million of assessed business property value.