COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Thursday, the Supreme Court opted not to intervene in the execution of Richard Moore, a Black inmate in South Carolina. His legal representatives claim he is uniquely positioned on the state’s death row, as he was convicted by a jury composed entirely of individuals who are not African American.

Moore is slated to be executed by lethal injection at a Columbia facility at 6 p.m. on Friday. His remaining hope lies with Governor Henry McMaster, who has the authority to commute Moore’s sentence to life imprisonment. Historically, South Carolina hasn’t seen a governor grant clemency in any of the 44 executions conducted in the last five decades.

The 59-year-old Moore was convicted for the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk named James Mahoney in Spartanburg back in 1999. During the robbery, Moore, who initially entered the store unarmed, took the clerk’s gun after a brief struggle. Both exchanged gunfire, leading to Mahoney’s death from a gunshot wound to the chest while Moore sustained an injury to his arm. Moore later claimed he had entered the store simply to purchase cigarettes and beer, and a dispute occurred when he was short on cash.

Following the altercation, Moore left the store with approximately $1,400 and did not seek help for Mahoney, who lay injured. His attorneys highlight that no other inmates currently on South Carolina’s death row initiated their offenses without a weapon or in a scenario that could be interpreted as self-defense.

They also stress that Moore stands alone as the only inmate sentenced to death by an all-white jury, despite about 20% of Spartanburg County’s population being Black at the time of his trial in 2001.

The state has postponed Moore’s execution twice in the past as officials addressed multiple challenges, including difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs, due to companies declining to supply them. These issues were mitigated recently when a law was enacted to maintain confidentiality regarding drug sourcing.

If carried out, Moore’s execution would mark the second since South Carolina reinitiated its death penalty procedures in September. Four additional inmates are lined up for execution in six-week intervals throughout the upcoming spring season. Should Moore be executed on Friday, it would leave 30 inmates remaining on death row in the state.

In a clemency petition submitted on Wednesday, Moore’s legal team included over 40 pages of requests for mercy, featuring testimonies from two jurors, the presiding judge from his trial, a former prison system director, six childhood friends, five family members, and several former lawyers who noted Moore’s consistent concern for their families.

Moore identifies as a born-again Christian and has taken on a mentoring role among his fellow inmates on death row. His attorneys contend that if his sentence were commuted to life without the possibility of parole, he could positively influence a greater number of inmates. He maintains connections with his children and has grandchildren he speaks to regularly from within prison walls, as outlined in the clemency appeal.

Expressing remorse for his actions, Moore reportedly wishes he could extend an apology to Mahoney’s family. According to his attorney Lindsey Vann, Moore has devoted himself to improving his own life and those around him, stating, “Though he can never make up for the life he took… he has sought to do all he can to better the lives of those around him by bettering himself.”