TULSA, Okla. — Richard Glossip is on death row for his role in a 1997 murder. He's been there 26 years.
On Oct. 9, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Oklahoma can execute Glossip.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond argued for a retrial before the nation’s highest court.
- PAST REPORTING >>> Supreme Court to hear death row inmate Richard Glossip's case
Since his conviction and sentencing nine execution dates passed and Glossip maintained his innocence.
The Timeline:
In January 1997 an Oklahoma City motel worker named Justin Sneed confessed to killing owner Barry Van Treese, claiming Glossip paid him $10,000 to kill Van Treese.
In 1998, a jury found Glossip guilty of conspiring to kill Van Treese and sentenced him to death.
Three years later, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals threw out Glossip’s conviction for Glossip not receiving effective counsel, calling the case “extremely weak.”
In 2004, a second Oklahoma jury convicted Glossip of murder and sentenced him to death. Glossip claimed prosecutors intimidated his defense attorney into resigning.
The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction in 2007, with two judges in the majority, one concurring, and two dissenting.
Glossip’s execution date was set for Nov. 20, 2014. But that October then-Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said the state did not have enough drugs or medical staff prepared for executions.
While Glossip’s execution was stayed, he was not recommended clemency.
His next execution date of Jan. 29, 2015, came and went.
In August 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request for a new hearing.
However, mere days before his next scheduled execution date Glossip’s attorneys claimed to have new evidence. His execution was stayed yet again.
Years later, in 2022, Glossip’s defense team filed a petition with new evidence.
This followed an independent report alleging Sneed got a plea deal for pointing the finger at Glossip and the district attorney’s office threw out a box of evidence that could have exonerated Glossip before his second trial.
After multiple state appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court eventually blocked his execution in 2023. Now, the high court has heard the case.
The Van Treese family wants the conviction to be upheld.
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