Alabama’s Decision to Execute Charles ‘Sonny’ Burton Contested by Jurors and Victim’s Family

The state of Alabama has scheduled the execution of Charles “Sonny” Burton for March 12. Burton was convicted as an accomplice in a 1991 robbery that resulted in the death of Doug Battle. While Burton did not pull the trigger nor was he present at the scene when Battle was shot, he has been portrayed as the mastermind of the crime and was sentenced to death. Governor Kay Ivey has set the execution date using nitrogen gas, though she has the power to grant clemency before the execution takes place.

There has been significant public outcry against the execution of Burton, who is 75 years old. Despite the fact that Derrick DeBruce, the man who actually fired the gun, had his sentence commuted to life in prison before dying there, efforts for clemency for Burton have been refused by Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office. Matt Schulz, Burton’s attorney, expressed hope that Governor Ivey will reconsider her decision, stating the unjust nature of executing someone who did not commit the murder.

Support for clemency not only comes from Burton’s legal representation but also a broad spectrum of individuals, including one of the victim’s children and some jurors from the original 1992 trial. According to a clemency petition, six of the eight surviving jurors do not oppose sentence commutation for Burton. In particular, Priscilla Townsend, a juror, noted her belief has shifted over the years, realizing Burton was not the person who deserved a death sentence.

In a reflective essay published by AL.com, Townsend described how the jury’s view was influenced by the prosecution’s presentation of Burton as the “ringleader” of the robbery. She underscored that their perception shaped how they judged the evidence and determined punishment. Townsend stated that while she once agreed with the verdict, she no longer believes the death penalty is justified in this case.

Mr. Burton was not inside the AutoZone at the time of the murder. He was not the shooter, and yet the state sought and secured a death sentence against him anyway. At the time, I did not fully understand what that meant. I do now.

Additionally, statistics show that 27 states, including Alabama, permit executions for involvement in felonies that result in death, even when the convicted individual did not directly cause the death, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).