US EditionAlabama governor commutes death sentence of inmate whose accomplice fired fatal shot
Governor Ivey cited fairness concerns and the disparity in punishment as the reason for commuting Burton's sentence, marking her second clemency since 2017.
- On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama, commuted Charles L. Burton's death sentence to life without parole, halting his Thursday scheduled execution.
- The governor cited a sentencing disparity because evidence shows Charles L. Burton left before the shooting and Derrick DeBruce, the triggerman, received life imprisonment.
- The shooting occurred Aug. 16, 1991, during a robbery at an AutoZone in Talladega, where victim, a 34-year-old Army veteran and father of four, was killed; Burton was convicted of capital murder in April 1992 with a jury recommendation for the death penalty.
- Family members and jurors told the governor that Tori Battle, daughter of Doug Battle, urged clemency, six of the eight living jurors did not object, and Ivey notified the Attorney General of Alabama and John Hamm, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner.
- The U.S. Supreme Court 1987 ruling on accomplice liability allows death sentences under 'reckless indifference', while the Alabama Supreme Court authorization for nitrogen gas executions framed Ivey's decision, and the Death Penalty Information Center documented at least 22 similar cases.
151 Articles
151 Articles
Alabama Governor Grants Clemency to Death Row Inmate Sentenced for a Murder He Didn’t Commit
On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey granted clemency to a death-row inmate who was sentenced for a murder he was not charged with committing. Charles “Sonny” Burton had been awaiting execution for his role in the 1991 robbery of an auto parts store by a group of men that led to the death of Douglas Battle. Burton had left the store before Derrick DeBruce shot and killed Battle. The governor cited the disproportionate sentences given to DeBruce…
Catholic death penalty opponents laud commuted death sentence for inmate who didn’t pull trigger
(OSV News) -- Gov. Kay Ivey, R-Ala., announced March 10 she commuted the death sentence of Charles L. "Sonny" Burton to life in prison, a move lauded by Catholic death penalty opponents. Charles "Sonny" Burton, 75, was previously scheduled to be executed by the state of Alabama the same week in connection to the 1991 robbery
The Charles Sonny Burton Clemency Grant Shows That Americans Are Ready to Stop Executing People for Murders They Didn't Commit
In August 1991, Charles “Sonny” Burton was one of six men involved in the deadly robbery of an AutoZone in Talladega, Alabama. But he did not kill, encourage the killing, or even witness the killing of anyone. After Burton had already emptied the store’s safe and left the building, Derrick DeBruce, one of the other participants in the robbery, fatally shot a customer, Doug Battle. Yet at trial, Burton and DeBruce were both convicted of murder an…
Alabama halts execution of man who didn’t kill victim
What happenedAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of a 75-year-old inmate scheduled for execution Wednesday night for a murder he did not commit or even witness. Charles “Sonny” Burton and five other men robbed an AutoZone in Talladega, Alabama, in 1991, but Burton had left the building before an accomplice, Derrick DeBruce, fatally shot a customer, Doug Battle. DeBruce’s death sentence was overturned on appeal and he…
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