Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Robin “Rocky” Myers to life imprisonment on Friday over concerns about Myers’ possible innocence.

Myers was convicted of capital murder in 1994 following the killing of Ludi Mae Tucker, his neighbor. Myers pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was not present at the crime scene on the night of the murder, a stance he has maintained. The jury that convicted Myers recommended a life sentence. However, Circuit Court Judge Claude Bennett McRae imposed the death penalty. Rocky Myers has been on death row since 1994, for a total of 31 years.

Since then, various lawyers have worked on Myers’ case, which culminated in the commutation awarded on Friday. Myers’ lawyers highlighted the various inconsistencies in the government’s case. There was a lack of any forensic evidence to implicate Myers, and a witness who had submitted that they saw a bulky Black man leaving Tucker’s house did not specifically identify Myers.

In light of these claims, Governor Ivey stated that:

In short, I am not convinced that Mr. Myers is innocent, but I am not so convinced of his guilt as to approve of his execution. I therefore must respect both the jury’s decision to convict him and its recommendation that he be sentenced to life without parole.

Amnesty International, which since long has been against the death penalty, and has questioned the basis on which it was awarded to Myers, welcomed the commutation.