Alabama: 75-year-old man's death penalty commuted

(AFP) Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of 75-year-old Charles Burton to life in prison without the possibility of parole, saying it would be "unjust" to proceed with the execution scheduled for Thursday.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of 75-year-old Charles Burton to life in prison without the possibility of parole, saying it would be "unjust" to proceed with the execution scheduled for Thursday.

In 1991, Charles Burton was one of six men involved in a store robbery that ended in the murder of a customer, Doug Battle. The investigation showed that Burton did not pull the trigger.

"Doug Battle was brutally murdered by Derrick DeBruce while shopping at an auto parts store. But DeBruce was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole," the governor said in a statement.

"Charles Burton did not shoot the victim, did not order the gunman to shoot the victim, and had already left the store when the shooting occurred. However, Burton was sentenced to death, while DeBruce was allowed to spend the rest of his life in prison," he said.

"I cannot in good conscience proceed with Burton's execution, given the disparate circumstances. I believe it would be unfair for one of the participants in this crime to be executed, while the one who pulled the trigger was not," Ivey concluded.

This is only the second time Kay Ivey has exercised her right to pardon. Since taking office as governor in 2017, she has overseen 25 executions.

According to data from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), five death row inmates have been executed in the United States since the beginning of the year.