Alabama Sets March Execution Date for Charles Lee Burton
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Corrections has announced that an execution date has been set for death row inmate Charles Lee Burton after the Alabama Supreme Court issued an order authorizing the sentence to be carried out.
Burton is scheduled to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia during a 30-hour window beginning at 12:00 a.m. Thursday, March 12, 2026, and ending at 6:00 a.m. Friday, March 13, 2026. The tentative start time is 6:00 p.m. on March 12. The execution will take place at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.
Burton, 75, was sentenced to death for the 1991 capital murder of Doug Battle in Talladega County.
According to court records, Burton was involved in a robbery at a Talladega AutoZone on Aug. 16, 1991. During the robbery, Battle was shot and later died from a gunshot wound to the lower back.
Burton’s co-defendant, Derrick DeBruce, was identified in court records as the shooter. DeBruce was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He died in custody in 2020.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said it is proceeding with its statutory duty to carry out the court’s order.
