Breaking News: Supreme Court Grants New Trial to Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Richard Glossip

The US Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for Richard Glossip, a man on death row in Oklahoma. In a 5-2 decision, the court overturned a prior ruling from the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

This significant change followed a request from the state’s Republican attorney general, who supported Glossip’s plea for a new trial. Glossip, now 62, was convicted in 1997 for the murder of his boss, Barry Van Treese, owner of a motel where Glossip worked. Despite having multiple execution dates postponed, he has faced the harrowing experience of eating his “last meal” three times.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the court’s opinion, joined by other justices including Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Notably, conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts also supported the ruling. However, Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate in the case.

Sotomayor pointed out that the prosecution had failed to correct false testimony during Glossip’s trial, which undermined the fairness of the process. Throughout the years, Glossip has consistently claimed his innocence.

The murder of Van Treese was committed by Justin Sneed, a co-worker, who then testified that Glossip had orchestrated the crime. After the conviction, it was revealed that Sneed had a serious psychiatric condition, a fact that the prosecutors did not disclose at the trial.

Glossip’s legal journey has been complex. His first conviction in 1998 was overturned in 2001, and he was convicted again in 2004. Just before his scheduled execution in 2015, it was stopped to review the lethal injection drugs used in those executions.

In 2023, the Supreme Court stepped in after both Glossip and the attorney general requested a new trial. High-profile supporters, including Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, and Sir Richard Branson, have publicly backed Glossip in his fight for justice.

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