Overview
- Gov. Kay Ivey scheduled Charles “Sonny” Burton’s execution between midnight March 12 and 6 a.m. March 13 using nitrogen hypoxia.
- Burton, 75, was convicted in 1992 as an accomplice in Doug Battle’s death and was outside the store when another man shot the victim.
- The identified shooter, Derrick DeBruce, was later resentenced to life imprisonment and died in prison, a disparity cited by clemency supporters.
- The Alabama Supreme Court authorized the governor in January to set the nitrogen execution, and the Attorney General’s office points to a unanimous death recommendation and repeated appellate affirmations.
- Public appeals from the victim’s daughter, several jurors and activists continue, while the governor retains authority to grant a reprieve or commutation before the execution.