COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – Sidney Moorer was denied parole Tuesday morning in Columbia.
The board voted unanimously to keep him behind bars.
Moorer was video conferenced into the 9 a.m. hearing. He spoke to the parole board from a TV monitor and was joined by two of his children and his mother-in-law.
When asked what he had been doing to get ready for potential parole, Moorer answered that he had been working at the prison cleaning dorms and he has been to several classes and prayer services.
“Basically just trying to prepare myself for, better myself as best as I could,” he said.
Sidney Moorer also told the board he understands what he did was wrong. “Well I didn’t intentionally do it but, but I mean I understand what I did was wrong, I know it is.”
State prosecutor Chris Helms and the family of Heather Elvis also attended the hearing, where they spoke to the board.
Morgan Elvis, Heather’s sister, emotionally told board members this time of the year is especially hard with the holidays and the anniversary of Heather’s disappearance coming up.
“We have Christmas coming up too. And, she won’t be there. And, I think that it’s awfully wrong for him to lie and lie and lie and get to sit at home on Christmas Eve like nothing happened,” she said.
Heather’s father, Terry Elvis, told News13 that even though the family thinks a good decision was made, it doesn’t feel like a victory for them.
“It’s not a win situation. It’s more or less just a continuation of what’s going on,” he said.
The hearing lasted about 15 minutes.
A jury found Sidney Moorer guilty of obstruction of justice in August 2017 after the state claimed he stalled the Heather Elvis investigation by lying to police and deleting phone calls and text messages. Moorer was sentenced to 10 years in prison with credit for one year he already served.
Moorer, along with his wife, Tammy Moorer, still faces kidnapping charges in Elvis’ disappearance. He was tried in 2016 on the kidnapping charge, but a mistrial was declared when the jurors could not deliver a unanimous decision. A date for that kidnapping retrial has not been set.
December 18 marks five years since Heather disappeared.
Sidney Moorer will be able to try again for parole in about a year.
