Alabama Governor Commutes Death Sentence of Man Who Didn't Kill Anyone [View all]

Source: NBC News

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton to life without parole, saying his execution, which was set for Thursday, would be "unjust."

In 1991, Burton was one of six men involved in the robbery of an AutoZone store in Talladega that ended with the murder of a customer, Doug Battle; Burton did not pull the trigger in the killing.

“Doug Battle was brutally murdered by Derrick DeBruce while shopping in an auto parts store. But DeBruce was ultimately sentenced to life without parole. Charles Burton did not shoot the victim, did not direct the triggerman to shoot the victim and had already left the store by the time the shooting occurred. Yet Mr. Burton was set to be executed while DeBruce was allowed to live out his life in prison,” Ivey said in a statement.

“I cannot proceed in good conscience with the execution of Mr. Burton under such disparate circumstances. I believe it would be unjust for one participant in this crime to be executed while the participant who pulled the trigger was not,” she said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sentence-commuted-man-alabama-was-set-execute-didnt-kill-anyone-rcna262738