South-Carolina

The son of a South Carolina inmate urges the governor to save his father from execution

Published

1 year ago

October 16, 2024

The son of a South Carolina inmate urges the governor to save his father from execution

COLUMBIA, S.C. — COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Richard Moore never meant to kill anyone the night he robbed a South Carolina convenience store and the Black man was convicted by a jury with no African Americans, his son and lawyers say as they fight to save the inmate from execution next month.

Moore went unarmed into a Spartanburg County store to rob it in 1999, took a gun from a clerk when it was pointed at him and fatally shot the clerk in the chest as the two struggled.

The inmate’s son, Lyndall Moore, said his father is now the only prisoner left on the state’s death row convicted by a jury without any Black people.

“He’s a human being who made mistakes,” Moore added. “And this particular mistake led to the death of another human being. But his sentence is completely disproportionate to the actual crime.”

South Carolina ended a 13-year pause on executions last month with the lethal injection of Freddie Owens. Moore is set to be executed Nov. 1.

Moore’s lawyers have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, saying a lower court should 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.

They also hope Moore will become the first South Carolina inmate whose death sentence is commuted to life without parole since executions in the U.S. resumed in 1976.

Only South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster can grant clemency. A former prosecutor, McMaster didn’t grant it for Owens and has said previously that he tends to trust juries and the court system.

But Moore’s family and lawyers contend executing Moore is too harsh a punishment. In a state where the governor and prison director have made a priority of getting inmates to turn their lives around, Moore’s spotless record behind bars and his reputation for helping other inmates merits a reprieve, they say.

“He’s very remorseful and sorry for the horrible, tragic decisions he made in his life. But he spent the past 20 years really trying to make up for that by loving the people he still has in his life,” attorney Lindsey Vann said.

Moore killed clerk James Mahoney, 40, a man with some disabilities who loved his family and tried to take care of co-workers.

The prosecutors in Moore’s case included Trey Gowdy, a Republican who later served four terms in Congress, and Barry Barnette, currently the solicitor in Spartanburg County. Both have declined comment, with Gowdy saying the 1999 trial speaks for itself.

In asking the jury to sentence Moore to death, Gowdy reminded them of Moore’s criminal record for stealing and robbing to gain drug money.

He focused on how after shooting Mahoney, Moore — also shot in the arm in the struggle — walked over the dying clerk’s body looking for cash.

“The hopes and the goals and the dreams of a 40-year-old man are coming out of his heart, and the cold, wet drops of blood of a career criminal are dripping on his back,” Gowdy said. “There is a time for mercy, ladies and gentlemen. That time has come and gone.”

Moore’s supporters said the trial represents plenty that is wrong about the death penalty in South Carolina, how arbitrary it is because prosecutors can make political points by bringing a number of death penalty cases when the cases don’t represent the worst of unrepentant, cruel and heinous criminals.

And then there is the problem of a jury without Black representation, Vann said.

“I’m really struck by the image that I’ve had of Richard’s trial where there’s a white prosecutor, white judge, white defense attorneys, an all-white jury and he’s the only person in the room who is African American and he’s being judged by a jury who has no one who looks like him,” Vann said.

Moore has had two prior execution dates, both postponed at a time when the state only had the electric chair and a firing squad. Since then, lethal injection has been added as an option, aided by passage of a law allowing suppliers of lethal injection drugs to remain secret.

Lyndall Moore said the more people get to know his father, the more they realize what a tragedy it would be to take an awful thing Richard Moore did in killing a man and make it worse by taking someone who turned their life around and tried to give something back.

He said he hopes McMaster would take the time to really get to know his father, not just glance at a file on his desk.

“He’s not some menacing figure. He’s just a regular dude. … He’s had a lot of time to think about, to reflect on what’s gotten him to this point. He’s very clearly, very obviously regretful of everything,” Lyndall Moore said.

Richard Moore told The Post and Courier of Charleston in 2022 that his lawyers advised him not to reach out to Mahoney’s family, but if he did, he would let them know he is “truly, truly sorry that he died at the hands of my actions.”

“I am not the same person I was the night I took Mr. Mahoney’s life. I have grown. I feel as though I still have a story to tell,” Moore said.

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South-Carolina

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

by JENN WOOD

***

A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in South Carolina accused Greenwood County law enforcement officers of wrongfully arresting and prosecuting a Florida man for fentanyl and cocaine offenses after a traffic stop — despite immediate evidence that the pills in his possession were lawfully prescribed medication.

In a complaint (.pdf) filed in federal court, Bryan Joseph Getchius accused Greenwood County, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), sheriff Dennis Kelly, and three GCSO officers of false arrest, malicious prosecution, negligent supervision and violations of his constitutional rights following a May 2024 stop.

That stop yielded fentanyl and cocaine charges that were ultimately dismissed.

According to the complaint, Getchius was driving through Greenwood County on May 15, 2024 – returning to Florida after visiting family in South Carolina – when deputies stopped his vehicle after observing what they described as swerving. During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle and found a prescription bottle bearing Getchius’ name containing blue pills prescribed as Dicyclomine, a medication commonly used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

The complaint alleges GCSO deputy Wesley McClinton used his cellphone during the stop to search the pill markings and confirmed they matched Dicyclomine — yet still proceeded with field drug testing that produced presumptive positive results for fentanyl.

***

WARRANTS BUILT ON FIELD TESTS

The supporting arrest warrants (.pdf) reveal officers charged Getchius with three felony drug offenses arising from the stop: trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of cocaine. According to the affidavits, these charges were based on pills and powder recovered from a prescription bottle that deputies said produced presumptive positive field-test results for fentanyl and cocaine.

Each affidavit — sworn by officer James Travis Freeman, who the lawsuit says was not present during the stop — described the pills as: “poorly made, broke apart with very small amount of force and were consistent with clandestinely manufactured fentanyl pills.”

The lawsuit argues those statements omitted a critical fact: deputies had already identified the pill markings as lawful prescription medication prior to Getchius’ arrest.

After the arrest, Greenwood County circuit court judge Frank Addy set a surety bond at $25,000 – and ordered Getchius placed on house arrest at his mother’s Greenwood residence under electronic monitoring.

The order allowed limited exceptions for employment, legal appointments, medical visits and religious services.

The complaint stated Getchius spent 15 days in jail before bonding out, then approximately seven months on home arrest – unable to return to his job in Florida or maintain the sobriety support network he had built after more than fourteen months of recovery.

***

RELATED | YET ANOTHER SLED AGENT CHARGED WITH DUI

***

SLED LAB RESULTS COLLAPSE THE CASE

According to the lawsuit, the evidence was submitted to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic laboratory shortly after Getchius’ arrest, but final testing did not come back for more than sixteen months — a delay the complaint attributed to SLED’s well-documented forensic backlog, which it says involved roughly 18,000 pending cases statewide at the time.

When the final report (.pdf) was issued on October 1, 2025, SLED forensic scientist Elise London found every tested item contained Dicyclomine — and nothing illegal.

The SLED report specifically found:

fifty blue tablets marked LAN 1282 were Dicyclomine,
blue powder residue was Dicyclomine,
eight capsules marked 0586 LANETT were Dicyclomine,
two additional capsules marked 0586 LANETT were also Dicyclomine.

The lab further noted the tablets’ physical characteristics were “consistent with a pharmaceutical preparation,” directly contradicting warrant language describing them as crudely manufactured narcotics.

According to the complaint, prosecutors offered Getchius a plea deal after receiving the lab report — proposing he plead guilty to a reduced possession charge despite the absence of any controlled substance. He refused, and the charges were later dismissed.

***

BROADER QUESTIONS ABOUT FIELD TESTS

Beyond Getchius’ individual case, the lawsuit touches on a broader issue in South Carolina drug enforcement: arrests frequently begin with presumptive roadside field tests, while definitive laboratory confirmation may take months — or, in backlog cases, more than a year — leaving serious felony charges in place until forensic testing catches up with the allegations.

The complaint alleged Greenwood County failed to properly train its officers on the known limitations of field drug testing, probable cause standards, and the constitutional obligation to include exculpatory information in warrant affidavits.

It also alleged county officials permitted a broader practice of relying on field-test results even when contradictory pharmaceutical evidence was available at the scene.

Getchius seeks actual damages, consequential damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

***

THE COMPLAINT…

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

***

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 10, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 10, 2026

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing

16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 7-8-3, FB: 4

Evening: 6-9-0, FB: 0

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 3-7-7-1, FB: 4

Evening: 1-3-5-8, FB: 0

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 07

Evening: 06

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from March 10 drawing

04-05-06-07-11

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South-Carolina

Source: Lamont Paris returning to South Carolina next season

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Source: Lamont Paris returning to South Carolina next season

NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Lamont Paris will remain the head coach for South Carolina men’s basketball next season.

A source confirmed to WIS that Paris will return for his fifth season at the helm.

The Gamecocks have gone 62-67 under Paris, which included an NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2023-24 season. In the two seasons since, however, South Carolina has gone 12-20 and 13-18, respectively.

Paris’s tenure has also included a 23-49 record against the SEC as of Tuesday.

The Gamecocks will face Oklahoma on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. The game will also be televised on the SEC Network.

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