AG Marshall releases statement on Gov. Ivey’s commutation of Sonny Burton’s death sentence
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Special to the News
“I am deeply disappointed to learn that Gov. Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Sonny Burton.
“While the media has done its best to paint Mr. Burton as a harmless, decrepit old man, he is a murderer. He organized an armed robbery, held a gun to the store manager’s head and callously doled out the proceeds of the robbery once Douglas Battle, an Army veteran, was dead.
“Burton was a career criminal before he became a murderer, and the jury rightfully held him responsible for the death that he caused. Longstanding Alabama law recognizes accomplice liability, as has every judge that has touched this case over three decades. There has never been any doubt that Sonny Burton has Douglas Battle’s blood on his hands.
“Burton does not deserve special treatment because he is old – he could have been executed a long time ago, but like many death-row inmates, he chose to drag out his case through endless frivolous appeals. I firmly believe that he should have faced the punishment imposed by a jury of his peers and upheld by numerous judges.
“I do not want today’s result to cause Alabamians to lose faith in our justice system. For as long as I am attorney general, I will not shy away from calling evil, evil and will do everything in my power to ensure that violence perpetrated against innocent Alabamians is punished mightily and without hesitation.”