“I firmly believe that the death penalty is just punishment for society’s most heinous offenders, as shown by the 25 executions I have presided over as governor. In order to ensure the continued viability of the death penalty, however, I also believe that a government’s most consequential action must be administered fairly and proportionately,” she said.

Burton was set to be executed by nitrogen gas on Thursday night. Over the past months, Burton’s case has gained national attention, and many advocates and criminal justice voiced opposition to his execution. Last week, protesters gathered outside of the governor’s mansion in an effort to urge Ivey to save Burton’s life.

The daughter of the victim, Tori Battle, even wrote an op-ed in the Montgomery Adviser asking Ivey to commute Burton’s sentence.

In her piece, Battle wrote that “my love for my father does not require another death, especially one that defies reason. Mercy does not dishonor him. It honors the values he taught me.”

Alabama has carried out 83 executions since the US supreme court reinstituted the death penalty in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.