Petition to Gov of Alabama and the Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant clemency to Sonny Burton

Key Facts

• Execution Date: Charles “Sonny” Burton is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on March 12.
• Not the Shooter: Burton did not fire the fatal shot in the crime.
• Reportedly Outside: Testimony at trial indicated Burton was outside the store when the shooting occurred.
• Shooter’s Sentence: The man who fired the fatal shot, later had his death sentence overturned and was resentenced to life in prison.
• Calls for Clemency: Several jurors and the victim’s daughter have publicly asked that Burton’s life be spared.

Mr. Charles “Sonny” Burton is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on March 12 for his role in a 1991 robbery at an AutoZone store in Talladega, Alabama, during which customer Mr. Doug Battle was shot and killed. The loss of life in this case was tragic. However, the circumstances surrounding Burton’s sentence raise serious questions about fairness and proportional justice.

Burton did not fire the fatal shot. The victim was shot by another participant in the robbery. At trial, testimony indicated that Mr. Burton was outside the store when the shooting occurred.

Both Burton and the other participant were originally sentenced to death. However, the other participant’s death sentence was later vacated in federal court and reduced to life imprisonment. He later died while serving that life sentence in prison.

Burton is now the only person facing execution for the crime, even though he did not fire the fatal shot.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Burton played a leading role in planning the robbery and should therefore be held responsible for the killing under Alabama’s capital murder law. Burton was convicted under the state’s felony-murder statute, which allows participants in certain robberies to receive the death penalty even if they did not personally commit the killing.

Over the years, concerns about Burton’s sentence have been raised by several members of the original jury who participated in the trial. In addition, the victim’s daughter has publicly asked that Burton’s life be spared, saying she does not believe the execution will bring justice or healing.

The death penalty is the most severe punishment our legal system can impose. In cases like Burton’s—where the person facing execution did not fire the fatal shot and where the shooter ultimately served a life sentence—many believe the punishment should be carefully reconsidered.

We respectfully call on the Governor of Alabama and the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant clemency for Charles “Sonny” Burton and commute his sentence to life imprisonment without parole.

Governor, the power of clemency exists to ensure that justice is tempered with fairness and mercy when the circumstances of a case warrant reconsideration. We respectfully ask that you review this case and grant clemency to Mr. Charles “Sonny” Burton.

Clemency would not erase the tragedy of Mr. Doug Battle’s death, but it would ensure that the punishment imposed reflects fairness, proportional justice, and the careful exercise of mercy within our justice system.

Please sign and share this petition to urge Alabama’s leaders to grant clemency and stop the execution of Charles “Sonny” Burton.