Alabama Governor Commutes Inmate's Death Sentence to Life

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of 75-year-old inmate Charles "Sonny" Burton to life in prison without parole on Tuesday, sparing him from execution by nitrogen gas scheduled for Thursday at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

Burton had spent 33 years on death row after his 1992 conviction for the felony murder of Doug Battle, a 34-year-old customer killed during a robbery at an AutoZone store in Talladega on August 16, 1991. Court records show Burton organized the robbery involving five accomplices and entered the store armed with a gun, demanding access to the safe from the cashier. As the group prepared to leave, Battle entered and argued with accomplice Derrick DeBruce. DeBruce knocked Battle to the floor and shot him in the back. Burton had already fled the scene by that point and did not witness or participate in the shooting.

Under Alabama's felony murder rule, participants in a robbery that results in a death can face murder charges regardless of who fired the weapon. Both Burton and DeBruce received death sentences. However, DeBruce successfully appealed his conviction in 2014, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel, and his sentence was...