Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said on Mar. 10 that he is deeply disappointed by Governor Kay Ivey’s decision to commute the death sentence of Sonny Burton.
The statement from Marshall comes after Governor Ivey reduced Burton’s sentence, a move that has drawn attention due to the high-profile nature of the case and its implications for Alabama’s justice system.
“I am deeply disappointed to learn that Governor Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Sonny Burton,” Marshall said. “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.”
Marshall continued: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Marshall concluded: “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.”
The Alabama Attorney General office works statewide as the chief law enforcement agency representing Alabama in legal matters across all counties according to its official website. The office focuses on initiatives aimed at reducing violent crime and supporting victims according to its official website.
Steve Marshall has served as Alabama’s forty-eighth Attorney General since Feb. 10, 2017 according to its official website. The office also received recognition during the pandemic with the 2020 Hometown Hero honor from the Alabama League of Municipalities for staff efforts according to its official website.
In addition to prosecuting crimes and supporting victims, the Attorney General’s office has influenced policy through successful defenses in high-profile cases such as upholding convictions under the Brody Act before the Alabama Supreme Court according to its official website.