Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles 'Sonny' Burton, a 75-year-old inmate convicted in a 1991 robbery that ended in murder. Burton was scheduled for execution by nitrogen gas on Thursday but will now serve life without parole. The governor's decision came after years of advocacy from death penalty opponents and the victim's family.

Burton participated in the robbery at an AutoZone in Talladega but did not pull the trigger. The actual gunman, Derrick DeBruce, had his death sentence commuted to life in 2014 and died in prison in 2020. Alabama law allows murder convictions for participants in felonies resulting in death, even without direct involvement in the killing.

The case drew national attention as Burton's execution would have created an unusual disparity: one participant executed while the actual shooter served life. The victim's daughter, Tori Battle, publicly opposed the execution, writing that her love for her father didn't require another death. Governor Ivey stated it would be unjust to execute Burton while the gunman wasn't executed, marking a rare intervention by the Republican governor in a death penalty case.