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Gov. Ivey Sets November Execution Window for Michael Shannon Taylor in 1991 Gadsden Double Murder Case

MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has set a November execution window for Michael Shannon Taylor. Taylor faces a death sentence for the 1991 murders of an elderly Gadsden couple.

Execution Window Begins Nov. 5

Ivey directed the Alabama Department of Corrections to carry out Taylor’s sentence during a 30-hour period. The window begins at midnight Thursday, Nov. 5, and ends at 6 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6.

The Alabama Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution on June 4. The court granted the state’s request to authorize the corrections commissioner to carry out the death sentence.

The court’s order also serves as Taylor’s execution warrant.

Ivey addressed clemency in her Aug. 31 letter to Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace. She said she has no current plans to grant it.

However, Ivey retains authority to grant a reprieve or commute the sentence before the execution.

1991 Gadsden Double Murder Case

The case dates to Nov. 4, 1991. Taylor was 19 at the time.

He went to the Gadsden home of Ivan Moore, 83, and his wife, Lucille Moore, 79. Court records say Taylor knew the couple and asked to use their telephone.

Taylor later retrieved a metal bar from a duffel bag outside the home. He attacked Ivan Moore in the kitchen, according to court records.

When Lucille Moore entered the room and went to her husband, Taylor attacked her too.

Taylor then took Ivan Moore’s wallet, Lucille Moore’s purse, the couple’s checkbook, and their 1986 Cadillac. He drove to Birmingham, cashed checks totaling about $1,500, and made purchases at the Galleria.

A neighbor found the couple two days later. Ivan Moore had died.

Lucille Moore remained unconscious and later died from her injuries.

Authorities arrested Taylor outside the Galleria after he entered the Moores’ vehicle and tried to drive away. After officers returned him to Gadsden, Taylor confessed to beating the couple during the robbery, according to court records.

Jury Recommended Death Penalty

An Etowah County jury convicted Taylor on April 14, 1993, of three capital murder charges.

Two counts involved murders during a first-degree robbery. A third count covered the killing of two or more people.

Prosecutors said the deaths occurred during one act or course of conduct.

The jury unanimously recommended the death penalty. The trial judge imposed the sentence on May 5, 1993.

Alabama appellate courts later upheld both the convictions and sentence.

Appeals Continued for Decades

Taylor continued to challenge his conviction and sentence through state and federal courts.

In 2015, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his federal habeas appeal.

Taylor raised claims involving ineffective assistance of counsel. He also challenged the trial court’s refusal to give a felony-murder instruction.

In addition, Taylor challenged the prosecution’s removal of a prospective juror.

The appeals court rejected those claims and affirmed the denial of relief.

The case moved toward execution again this year. The State of Alabama asked the Alabama Supreme Court for authorization to carry out the sentence.

The court granted that request on June 4. Ivey set the November execution window on Aug. 31.

AREA NEWS