GADSDEN– Alabama plans to execute Michael Shannon Taylor on Thursday, Nov. 5, for the murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore. Taylor was 19 when he attacked the couple during a robbery at their Gadsden home.
The lethal injection has a tentative start time of 6 p.m. Central at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, according to WAKA. The 30-hour window Gov. Kay Ivey set opened at midnight Thursday and runs through 6 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The Alabama Supreme Court authorized the execution in June, and its order also serves as the warrant. WEIS first reported the execution window in August.
What Happened in Gadsden
The case began on Nov. 4, 1991, when Taylor went to the Moores’ home and asked to use their telephone. According to the Alabama Supreme Court’s 1995 opinion, he knew the couple and had returned to his hometown while absent without leave from the Navy.
Once inside, Taylor pretended to make a call, and Ivan Moore, 83, offered him water and a doughnut. Taylor then retrieved a metal bar from a bag he had left outside. He attacked Ivan in the kitchen, then struck Lucille, 79, when she came to check on her husband.
Taylor took the couple’s checkbook and Cadillac, along with Ivan’s wallet and Lucille’s purse. He then drove to the Birmingham area and cashed several checks. Police later arrested him outside the Riverchase Galleria after he got into the Moores’ car.
Two days later, a neighbor found the couple. Ivan had died, but Lucille was still alive. She later died from her injuries. After police brought Taylor back to Gadsden, he confessed to beating the Moores during the robbery.
From the Verdict to the Execution Warrant
An Etowah County jury found Taylor guilty on three capital murder counts. Two counts involved killings during a robbery. Jurors also convicted him of killing both victims as part of the same course of conduct.
The jury unanimously recommended death in April 1993, and the trial judge imposed that sentence. The Alabama Supreme Court later affirmed the convictions and sentence in 1995. In 2015, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld the denial of Taylor’s request for habeas relief.
More recently, Taylor’s lawyers challenged the use of lethal injection. He had previously selected nitrogen gas, but a judge rejected his challenge to the change, according to The Associated Press.
If Alabama carries out the sentence Thursday, it would be the state’s third execution of 2026.
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