Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles L. 'Sonny' Burton to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1991 capital murder of Doug Battle in Talladega, Alabama. Burton was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for the robbery that led to the murder of the victim. However, Derrick DeBruce was sentenced to life without parole, despite Burton's involvement in the crime and having already left the store before the shooting occurred. Governor Ivey cited sentencing disparity between Burton and DeBruce as the reason for the commutation. Ivey stated that while Burton did not fire the shot, DeBruce did not directly shoot the victim, nor did direct the triggerman to shoot him, and that the death penalty is just punishment for society's most heinous offenders.