The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) came out in support of Gov. Kay Ivey’s decision to commute the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton, a man who served over three decades on Alabama’s death row.
Burton, a Muslim, was scheduled to be put to death on Thursday, just two days before the commutation. He will now be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Ivey said she could not go forward in good conscience with the execution, knowing that the triggerman in the death of Doug Battle did not receive the death penalty. Derrick DeBruce, who killed Battle, had his sentence commuted to life in prison. DeBruce has since died.
CAIR welcomed Ivey’s decision to commute the death sentence, saying he did not commit the crime for which he was convicted. The group previously sent letters to Ivey calling on her to stop the execution. The group thanked Ivey for answering their call.
“We thank Governor Ivey for sparing Mr. Burton's life and preventing a grave injustice from being committed,” said CAIR Alabama staff attorney Britton O'Shields. “Mr. Burton did not commit the crime for which he was sentenced to death, while the man who did didn't receive the death penalty. He changed his life and became a faith leader, a mentor and an example of redemption to other inmates. Taking his life would be unconscionable."
CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
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