North Alabama DSA joins the call for clemency for Charles “Sonny” Burton, who is scheduled to be executed by the state of Alabama on Thursday, March 12th, 2026 for his involvement in a 1991 robbery and murder. The particular injustice of this case has already been noted by many observers; Sonny has been sentenced to death despite the uncontested fact that he is not a murderer, because Alabama state law allows capital punishment for deaths that occur during the commission of another crime. Meanwhile the actual murderer, Derrick DeBruce, had his own death sentence overturned and was resentenced to life in prison. Jurors involved in his original conviction as well as the daughter of the victim have come forward to challenge the cruel and unnecessary execution, but so far Kay Ivey and the one-party Republican regime have, as so many times before, been deaf to their pleas.
This execution has not made national news. It has not captured public attention amid the noise of other political developments. But it is every bit a manifestation of the same violence we are seeing deployed against American citizens in other parts of the country, and against innocent people all around the world. The death penalty is the supreme symbol of the assertion of ultimate authority by the state. Whether at the level of state government or federal government, the same political regime that claims the unquestionable power over life and death is responsible for the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. It is responsible for the already catastrophic war in Iran. And if we do not stop it, it will soon also be responsible for the unjust execution of a man who even by Alabama’s own admission, is not a murderer.
Every execution, every murder in the street, every senseless war, is an expression and reification of the totalitarian relationship between the citizen and the state. The fact that this kind of arbitrary execution has become just part of the background noise of the political status quo in Alabama is all the more reason to furiously oppose it. We urge people to call the Governor’s office at (334)-242-7100 and/or write a letter. Also sign this petition by Death Penalty Action that will be printed and hand delivered to the Governor by volunteers.