MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey has scheduled a November execution for Michael Shannon Taylor, an Alabama death-row prisoner convicted of killing an elderly Gadsden couple more than three decades ago.
Ivey announced Aug. 31 that Taylor, 54, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 5. The governor established a 30-hour execution window beginning at 12 a.m. Nov. 5 and ending at 6 a.m. Nov. 6.
According to court records, Taylor was 19 and absent without leave from the U.S. Navy when Ivan and Lucille Moore gave him a ride to their home in 1991. Taylor reportedly asked to use the couple’s telephone after entering the residence. Authorities said he then beat the Moores to death and took several items from their home.
Taylor was convicted of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to death. He has remained on Alabama’s death row while his case moved through the appeals process.
The governor’s decision comes as Alabama continues carrying out capital punishment amid national debate over execution methods, prisoners’ legal rights and the state’s administration of the death penalty. Taylor selected lethal injection as his execution method.
If the execution proceeds, Taylor could become the third person executed in Alabama during 2026. Another Alabama execution is scheduled for September.
Legal challenges or clemency requests could still be filed before the execution window. Without court intervention or clemency from the governor, Taylor’s execution will take place at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.