Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey granted clemency Tuesday to 75-year-old death row inmate Charles “Sonny” Burton, commuting his sentence from execution to life without parole just before his scheduled Thursday lethal injection.
Reason for Clemency
Ivey cited fairness: Burton was not the shooter in the 1991 AutoZone robbery-murder of Douglas Battle in Talladega. The triggerman, Derrick DeBruce, had his death sentence reduced to life in 2014 (he died in prison 2020). “It would be unjust for one participant… to be executed while the triggerman was not.”
The 1991 Crime
- Burton (then 42) and five accomplices robbed the store; Burton bought items, used the bathroom, then held an employee at gunpoint to open the safe.
- DeBruce shot Battle (who entered mid-robbery) in the back after an argument; prosecutors called Burton the “ringleader.”
- Jury convicted him of capital felony murder in 1992, sentencing him to death despite him being outside during the shooting.
Reactions
- Burton: Expressed gratitude, reflecting on his “mistake” and hope for forgiveness.
- Daughter Lois Harris: “A weight lifted… the right decision.”
- Victim’s daughter “Tori”: Supported clemency, valuing peace over revenge; questioned trial counsel effectiveness.
- Attorney Matt Schulz: Called it “remarkable”; Burton was “overjoyed,” preferring death by God over state.
Ivey (first clemency in her term) emphasized proportionate justice to sustain the death penalty’s viability—rare in Alabama (<0.5% rate). Burton avoids a routine pre-execution transfer; family visits continue. His nine prior appeals failed, but this spares a non-shooter after 33 years.
