Alabama Governor Commutes Burton's Death Sentence

0:00This is Corey, here with your quick two-minute update from Birmingham News today. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of 75-year-old Charles Sonny Burton just days before his scheduled execution. Burton was set to die by nitrogen gas on Thursday for his role as an accomplice in a 1991 robbery that ended in murder. Instead, he will now serve life in prison without parole. The crime happened at an AutoZone store in Talladega during a robbery on August 16, 1991. Burton was one of six men involved and was outside the store when Derek DeBruce shot and killed customer Doug Battle, a 34-year-old army. Veteran and father of four. DeBruce, the Triggerman, had his own death sentence changed to life without parole before he died in prison in 2020. Only members of the victim and several jurors from Burton's 1992 trial pushed for clemency, calling the situation unfair since the shooter faced no execution.

1:01The victim's daughter wrote to the governor asking for grace, noting her father valued peace over revenge. Meanwhile, the state attorney general's office had opposed the request. Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court cleared the way for Burton's execution date. His lawyers argued it was an outlier case, as he never fired a shot or ordered one and had left the store by the time of the killing. According to death penalty experts, courts sometimes allow executions for accomplices showing reckless indifference, but Alabama requires proof of, intent to kill, Governor Ivy, who has overseen 25 executions, stressed the need for fair and proportional punishment to keep the death penalty viable. She noted this change matches the shooter's sentence without lessening the tragedy for battles family. Clemency like this remains rare in such cases. This story is made possible by her sponsor. A pillow that plays your sound quietly, comfortably, effortlessly, built for nighttime listening, L.I. SoleyPillow.com