Vigil for a man on death row held at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion
A vigil was held tonight outside of the governor’s mansion asking for clemency for a man on death row.
As CBS News reports, Burton was convicted as an accomplice in the shooting death of Doug Battle, a customer who was killed during a robbery at an auto parts store in Talladega in 1991.
Burton did not shoot Battle and was not in the store at the time of the fatal shooting. However, prosecutors depicted him as the ringleader of the robbery and sought a death sentence for him. Derrick DeBruce, the man who fired the gun, also was sentenced to death but later had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment and died in prison.
Many people came out to support him getting clemency by holding signs for cars passing by, and they listened to speakers as they spoke about Burton and the death penalty.
They hope that some of their work may be able to change the governor’s mind.
“This is not a case where people who are against the death penalty are standing up and saying ‘don’t let this execution go forward,’ like they do with every execution, and of course, people who are opposed to the death penalty are going to do that. That’s understandable. But, this is a case where even people who strongly support the death penalty, including 6 of the 8 living jurors, people who voted to not only convict Mr. Burton but voted to sentence him to death, are now supporting his commutation,” said Burton’s attorney, Matt Schulz.
“Everybody deserves a chance, especially a person that didn’t do anything. I just don’t think it’s fair that he gets the death penalty, and the killer got life. It’s just so wrong,” said Burton’s daughter, Annie Bradford-Harris.
Charles “Sonny” Burton is set to be executed on March 12th. The vigil will continue every Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
