The US Supreme Court hears the high-profile case on Wednesday of an Oklahoma man whose conviction and death sentence has sparked appeals for clemency from Pope Francis and Hollywood stars.
Richard Glossip, 61, was convicted — twice — of the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, an Oklahoma City motel owner, and sentenced to death.
Execution dates have been scheduled nine times and he has eaten three “last meals.”
Glossip’s first conviction, in 1998, was overturned because of ineffective counsel, but he was tried once more in 2004 and again found guilty.
Since then, his case has been subject to an extraordinary series of twists and turns.
The Republican attorney general of Oklahoma — generally an ardent supporter of the death penalty — is among those seeking a new trial for Glossip.
Citing “grave prosecutorial misconduct” and a star witness who lied on the stand, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals last year to vacate Glossip’s conviction.