Harry Charles Moore (May 5, 1941 – May 16, 1997) was an American convicted murderer who was executed in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

for the 1992 murders of Thomas Lauri and Barbara Cunningham. He was the second person executed by the state of Oregon since 1978 and remains the state's most recent execution.

Murders

Harry Charles Moore had been married to two of his nieces. Moore shot Thomas Lauri four times in the face with a 9 mm pistol in front of a Salem post office. Moore then drove to Cunningham's house and shot her in the abdomen. He then fired three more rounds into her head. Cunningham was Moore's half-sister and Lauri was her former husband. Moore said he had killed them because he thought they would move to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

with his estranged wife and baby daughter, and expose them to a life of prostitution and drugs.

Sentencing and execution

Moore was sentenced to death on July 20, 1993. He later threatened to sue anyone who tried to stop his execution. He also appealed to the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States In the United States, most states gi ...

consisted of two green apples, two red apples, a tray of fresh fruit, and two 2-liter bottles of Coke. Just prior to the execution Moore asked the warden if he could borrow the keys to the prison, promising to "bring them right back." The request was denied. As Moore lay dying, he whispered: "I want the last word I say to be Jennifer, J-e-n-n-i-f-e-r." Jennifer is the name of Moore's daughter by his niece Cindy Moore. He had a son prior to Jennifer, and another son after Jennifer. Moore was executed by lethal injection on May 16, 1997. He remains the second of only two people to be executed in Oregon since the resumption of the death penalty. The other was convicted serial killer Douglas Franklin Wright in 1996. Both waived their appeals and asked that the execution be carried out.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Harry Charles 1941 births 1997 deaths 20th-century executions by Oregon 20th-century executions of American people American male criminals American people executed for murder Executed people from Oregon People convicted of murder by Oregon People executed by Oregon by lethal injection People from Salem, Oregon Volunteer execution

Murders

Sentencing and execution

See also

References