Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
Posted: Apr 20, 2022 4:11 PM EDT
By MICHELLE LIU
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay halting the state from carrying out its first-ever firing squad execution.
Wednesday's court order temporarily halts a scheduled April 29 execution of inmate Richard Moore.
The state's highest court says a more detailed order will follow.
Moore's attorneys had asked justices to block the execution plan so they could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether his crime rises to the level of a death penalty offense.
The state court on Wednesday also issued an execution order for Brad Sigmon, who was convicted in 2002 for the double murder of his ex-girlfriend's parents in Greenville County.