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After spending nearly 30 years on death row and surviving multiple last-minute execution stays, Richard Glossip has finally been released. Glossip, who faced execution nine times and endured three separate last meals, walked out of prison on Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
Glossip posted a $480,000 bail ahead of a potential third trial, allowing him to leave prison. Although he must remain in Oklahoma under electronic monitoring, he is free for now.
The Supreme Court ruled in his favor after his legal team demonstrated that he had been denied a fair trial. Glossip was accused of orchestrating the 1997 murder of his former employer, Barry Van Treese, an Oklahoma City motel owner.
At the time of the murder, Glossip managed the motel and was alleged to have arranged the killing to cover up embezzlement. Van Treese, 54, was found beaten to death in a motel room in January 1997.
Justin Sneed, a maintenance worker, confessed to the murder, admitting to using a baseball bat. However, Sneed claimed Glossip had hired him for $9,000 to commit the crime.
Glossip’s defense disputes this, arguing that Sneed acted alone during a robbery gone wrong, motivated by drug addiction, and that Sneed falsely implicated Glossip to protect himself.
The Supreme Court ordered a new trial, citing false testimony from Sneed and the jury’s lack of access to key information about Sneed’s psychiatric history and credibility. Glossip was first sentenced to death in 1998, but the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction in 2001 due to inadequate legal representation.
A second trial in 2004 again resulted in a conviction and death sentence. In 2015, Glossip came within hours of execution but was spared when medical staff discovered the wrong drugs were prepared for lethal injection.
Glossip’s attorneys say they remain committed to securing his permanent freedom. “Mr.
Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors,” they stated. They added that Glossip is grateful for the support he has received and looks forward to a day when he is fully exonerated and free from this long ordeal.