Alabama Governor Commutes Death Sentence

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Charles 'Sonny' Burton on Monday, March 10, 2026, just hours before his scheduled execution. This decision followed a recommendation for clemency from the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, which cited Burton's intellectual disability as a primary factor. Burton, 51, was convicted of a 1997 murder. The commutation changes his sentence to life imprisonment without parole, preventing the state from carrying out the lethal injection.