OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma’s prosecutors have decided to charge longtime death row inmate Richard Glossip with murder, but they will not seek the death penalty, following new developments in his case, as outlined by Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Monday.
The U.S. Supreme Court, earlier in February, overturned Glossip’s conviction and the death sentence that had been levied against him, identifying that prosecutors previously involved in the case improperly permitted a key witness to present false testimony, therefore breaching Glossip’s right to a fair trial.
In a statement, Drummond disclosed that while the first-degree murder charge against Glossip remains, the state has opted against pursuing the death penalty. “Although the U.S. Supreme Court and I both found Mr. Glossip was denied a fair trial, I have neither declared him innocent,” mentioned Drummond, who is also a Republican candidate aiming for the governorship in Oklahoma. Highlighting a departure from previous prosecutorial misconduct, he asserted, “My office will ensure Mr. Glossip receives a fair trial underpinned by unassailable facts, substantial evidence, and credible testimony.”
Glossip has consistently proclaimed his innocence in the case where he was twice deemed guilty and sentenced to death due to the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, a motel owner in Oklahoma City. Prosecutors had alleged it was a murder-for-hire incident, implicating another individual, Justin Sneed, admitted to robbing and fatally beating Van Treese with a baseball bat, purportedly under Glossip’s persuasion for a promised $10,000 payout. Sneed was a pivotal witness for the state, resulting in him receiving a life imprisonment sentence.
Efforts to reach Glossip’s legal representatives on Monday were unsuccessful.
Following the Supreme Court’s reversal, Drummond, in an uncommon move, had petitioned for Glossip’s conviction to be annulled despite his belief of Glossip’s involvement in the crime, citing a lack of fair trial. He expressed that revisiting a case over two decades old poses challenges but remained confident in the availability of enough evidence for a successful conviction upon reexamination.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, articulating on behalf of five justices from the Supreme Court, highlighted additional misconduct observed, including meddling with Sneed’s testimonial, destruction of evidence, and omitting witness statements, which further compromised the trial’s outcome.
Throughout Glossip’s tenure on death row, he encountered nine different scheduled execution dates. He even endured the ritual of consuming three separate last meals as his execution loomed near. In 2015, Glossip awaited mere moments from death in a cell adjacent to the state’s execution chamber, set for a lethal injection that never occurred.
The expected time passed without execution proceeding due to a drug inconsistency discovered by prison officials. A botched supply of lethal drugs halted the execution process, leading to a nearly seven-year hiatus on executions within Oklahoma as a result of the drug mix-up.