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3mo ago

Alabama Sets March Nitrogen Execution Window for Accomplice in 1991 AutoZone Killing

The governor says she does not plan to grant clemency despite pleas from the victim’s daughter.

Rev. Jeff Hood holds a mask similar to those used in nitrogen hypoxia executions as advocates protest the death penalty and prison reform outside the Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery, Ala. on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.
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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.