Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip to face new murder trial but without death penalty

Oklahoma's apical authoritative said Monday the authorities intends to prosecute a caller execution proceedings against inmate Richard Glossip but without the decease punishment aft the U.S. Supreme Court vacated his superior condemnation successful a uncommon triumph for a decease enactment prisoner.

State Attorney General Gentner Drummond's determination to retry Glossip, 62, connected a first-degree execution complaint came retired of a presumption league hearing. In a quality release, Drummond said, the grounds inactive implicates him successful the 1997 execution of Oklahoma City motel proprietor Barry Van Treese.

Glossip, a motel manager moving for Van Treese, has maintained his innocence portion helium was connected decease enactment for astir 3 decades.

While Drummond, a Republican, has not agreed with Glossip's innocence claims, helium was supportive of the Supreme Court's ruling successful February, erstwhile the bulk of justices, helium said, agreed "it is present an undeniable information that helium did not person a just trial."

He said successful a connection Monday that helium would guarantee Glossip receives an impartial 1 now.

"While it was wide to maine and to the U.S. Supreme Court that Mr. Glossip did not person a just trial, I person ne'er proclaimed his innocence," Drummond said. "After the precocious tribunal remanded the substance backmost to territory court, my bureau thoroughly reviewed the merits of the lawsuit against Richard Glossip and concluded that capable grounds exists to unafraid a execution conviction."

Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna, a Democrat, had antecedently indicated that Glossip would not beryllium eligible for the decease punishment present if helium were to beryllium retried.

Drummond said helium would question a beingness condemnation for Glossip astatine his adjacent trial.

"While I cannot spell backmost 25 years and grip the lawsuit successful the due mode that would person ensured existent justice, I inactive person a work to question the justness that is disposable today," helium added.

The continuation of the state's prosecution against Glossip resumes a twisting lawsuit that saw him dodge decease respective times with 9 abstracted execution dates that had to beryllium postponed. Various courts had delayed the executions arsenic helium appealed, portion authorities corrections officials besides came nether scrutiny a decennary agone for botched execution attempts.

Death enactment inmate Richard Glossip connected Feb. 19, 2021.Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP file

But Glossip's lawsuit had been championed successful caller years by a bipartisan radical of Oklahoma legislators aft an independent report they commissioned successful 2022 recovered that "no tenable assemblage proceeding the implicit grounds would convict Glossip of first-degree murder."The study centered connected the state's superior witness, Justin Sneed, who had confirmed to the report's investigators that helium had discussions with aggregate household members astir "recanting" his grounds implicit an 11-year period. Investigators besides said the territory attorney's lawsuit record included documentation describing however the authorities provided Sneed accusation "so helium could conform his grounds to lucifer the evidence" from different witnesses.

Glossip's archetypal 1998 condemnation was overturned successful 2001, erstwhile a authorities appeals tribunal recovered that the grounds against him was weak. But the authorities took him to proceedings again, and a 2nd assemblage recovered him blameworthy successful 2004.

At Glossip's trial, Sneed, a motel handyman, admitted that helium killed Van Treese, but said that it was astatine Glossip's absorption and that helium had been promised $10,000. In speech for testifying against Glossip, Sneed received a beingness condemnation portion Glossip was fixed the decease penalty.

Prosecutors said Glossip orchestrated the crippled due to the fact that helium was embezzling from the motel and feared being fired.

The Supreme Court tossed retired Glossip's superior condemnation successful a 5-3 ruling. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate, presumably due to the fact that helium was progressive successful the lawsuit erstwhile helium was connected a national appeals tribunal that includes Oklahoma.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote successful the majority's ruling that prosecutors "knew Sneed's statements were false" and that "because Sneed's grounds was the lone nonstop grounds of Glossip's guilt of superior murder, the jury's appraisal of Sneed's credibility was needfully determinative here."

"Hence, determination is simply a tenable likelihood that correcting Sneed's grounds would person affected the judgement of the jury," she added.

After the Supreme Court's decision, Glossip was moved disconnected decease row, but was held without bail successful the Oklahoma County Detention Center connected a first-degree execution charge.

A adjacent tribunal day successful Glossip's lawsuit is scheduled for June 17.

Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, did not instantly remark astir the prosecutors' decision, but had welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling successful February that spared his longtime lawsuit from the decease chamber.

"He had 9 execution dates, 3 past meals, and obviously, to yet get alleviation has been immense for him," Knight said, "and he's thrilled beyond words."