Overview
- Burton, 75, was convicted under Alabama’s felony-murder law for a 1991 Talladega AutoZone robbery in which customer Doug Battle was killed by accomplice Derrick DeBruce.
- Court and state records indicate Burton had left the store and did not direct the shooting, while DeBruce later received life without parole and died in prison in 2020.
- The nitrogen-gas execution set for March 12 will not proceed, and the commutation requires Burton to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.
- Ivey acted after sustained calls for clemency from Burton’s supporters, including Battle’s daughter and multiple jurors, as petitions and rallies pressed for mercy.
- Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall condemned the decision, insisting Burton remains culpable as the robbery’s organizer and noting courts upheld the conviction.