The on-again, off-again scheduling of Richard Glossip’s execution will be heard by the Supreme Court thanks to questions from Oklahoma.
Richard Glossip was convicted and sentenced to death first in 1998, then a second time in 2004. He was scheduled to be executed in 2014. Now, his lawyers are preparing to present the death row inmate’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Glossip case has drawn national attention because Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond—who wasn’t in office when Mr. Glossip was convicted—has publicly opposed Mr. Glossip’s execution based on his belief that Mr. Glossip didn’t get a fair trial.
In January, the Supreme Court granted certiorari, which means that it will review the lower court’s judgment and render a decision on whether to uphold it or overturn it.
Mr. Glossip’s lawyer, Don Knight, of Littleton, Colorado, told The Epoch Times that he expects the court to hear the case during its next term, which begins in October.
“Richard Glossip’s innocence is unlike anything the country has ever seen,” Mr. Knight said in a Jan. 22 statement.
“The Oklahoma Attorney Generals’ concession of error is historically unprecedented, as is the outpouring of support from 62 Oklahoma legislators, including at least 45 death penalty-supporting Republican lawmakers.”
Not everyone shares that opinion, however.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals issued an opinion on April 20, 2023, stating that after two trials, five appeals, and two reprieves, Mr. Glossip had exhausted his legal options under Oklahoma’s Post-Conviction Procedure Act.
“Glossip is neither entitled to post-conviction relief nor a stay of execution,” the appeals court decision reads.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied Mr. Glossip clemency on April 26, 2023.
The crime occurred in January 1997.
Barry Van Treese, owner of the Best Budget Inn motel in Oklahoma City, was beaten to death with a baseball bat by Justin Sneed, a 19-year-old drug addict with mental health issues, according to court records.
Mr. Sneed, the motel’s maintenance man, initially told police that Mr. Glossip, the motel manager, hired him to kill Mr. Van Treese.
Mr. Sneed is serving a life sentence for the murder.
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