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- calendar_today November 6, 2026
Execution of Michael Taylor Concludes Decades-Long Case
Michael Shannon Taylor was executed Thursday at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, for the 1991 murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore. The execution by lethal injection took place more than 35 years after the crime, with Taylor pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m., according to the Alabama attorney general’s office.
Background: 1991 Gadsden Couple Murders
On November 4, 1991, Taylor, then 19 years old and absent without leave from the U.S. Navy, went to the home of Ivan Moore, 83, and Lucille Moore, 79, in Gadsden, Alabama. The attorney general's office reported that Taylor knew the couple. He asked to use the telephone, and Ivan Moore offered him food. As Lucille Moore joined them, Taylor attacked Ivan with a barbell in the kitchen. When Lucille tried to help her husband, Taylor assaulted her as well.
Taylor proceeded to steal the couple’s wallets, purse, checkbook, and their 1986 Cadillac. He then traveled to Birmingham, cashing checks totaling $1,500 and buying clothing and jewelry.
Discovery and Legal Proceedings
A neighbor discovered the Moores two days later. Ivan Moore was already dead; Lucille Moore, found unconscious, died on November 10, 1991. Both suffered fatal blunt-force injuries to the head.
In 1993, an Etowah County jury found Taylor guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of murdering two or more people in a single act. The jury unanimously recommended a death sentence, which the trial judge imposed.
Appeals and Execution Method Disputes
Taylor challenged his conviction and sentence in both state and federal courts over the years. A federal district court rejected his appeal in 2012, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision in 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in November 2016.
In 2018, Alabama lawmakers authorized the use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution. At that time, Taylor selected nitrogen hypoxia. However, a federal judge ruled in a separate case in June that the state’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol was unconstitutional, prompting Alabama to revert to lethal injection for Taylor’s execution. Taylor and his legal team argued that the state was required to honor his method choice under the 2018 law, but the Alabama Supreme Court denied his emergency request for a stay on November 4, 2026.
Official Statements and Case Closure
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall commented, "Tonight is long overdue for the relatives and loved ones of Ivan and Lucille Moore. Thirty-five years ago, the Moores showed kindness to a young man in need and were callously murdered for it." Marshall credited the attorney general’s Capital Litigation Division for its work on the case, emphasizing that the jury swiftly found Taylor guilty and recommended a death sentence.
Context in Alabama’s Criminal Justice System
Taylor's execution marks the conclusion of a case that spanned decades and involved extensive litigation and appeals. His case is among several recent executions in Alabama, some of which have tested the legality and application of different execution protocols such as nitrogen hypoxia. The execution took place at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, a key institution in Alabama's execution process.
Source: alreporter.com.
