Man sentenced to execution despite no history of violence in Alabama

Charles Lee “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old man sentenced to death for his role as an accomplice in a 1991 robbery that resulted in the murder of Doug Battle, is scheduled for execution in Alabama on March 12. Burton, who did not kill Battle, has spent over three decades on death row while the actual shooter, Derrick DeBruce, received a life sentence without parole after his death penalty conviction was overturned. The upcoming execution has sparked debate, with calls for clemency, reflecting concerns about executing someone for a crime they did not commit.

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