Oklahoma man was on death row for nearly 30 years, with 9 stayed executions -a judge just let him walk out of jail with his wife

After spending nearly three decades on death row and surviving nine scheduled execution dates, Richard Glossip finally tasted freedom on May 14. Per PEOPLE, Glossip, who was convicted in the 1997 murder of his boss, Barry Van Treese, was able to leave the detention facility holding hands with his wife, Lea Glossip. “I’m just thankful for my wife and my attorneys. Just thankful,” Glossip said after his release. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s amazing at the same time.”

Glossip was first convicted in 1998 for allegedly ordering the fatal beating of Van Treese, the owner of an Oklahoma City motel where Glossip worked. While that initial conviction was overturned in 2001 due to ineffective legal representation, his second trial in 2004 resulted in another conviction and a death sentence. 

Prosecutors claimed it was a murder-for-hire scheme, alleging that Glossip promised the motel handyman, Justin Sneed, $10,000 to kill Van Treese. Sneed, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, provided the testimony that formed the backbone of the state’s case against Glossip, even when Glossip insisted he was innocent.

There were doubts, and that kept him alive

Investigations soon revealed that Sneed had a history of mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, which was not disclosed during the trials. According to ABC News, it later emerged that Sneed had been taking psychiatric medication, yet he denied it under oath. Prosecutors, who were aware of the truth, failed to correct this false testimony. 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the Supreme Court in a 5-3 decision, noted that had the prosecution corrected Sneed on the stand, his credibility would have suffered. “That correction would have revealed to the jury not just that Sneed was untrustworthy … but also that Sneed was willing to lie to them under oath,” she wrote. “Such a revelation would be significant in any case, and was especially so here where Sneed was already nobody’s idea of a strong witness.”

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the conviction in February 2025 was a major turning point for Glossip. Attorney General Gentner Drummond, despite being a death penalty advocate, requested that the justices throw out the 2004 conviction, arguing that the rule of law must prevail over politics. Drummond stated that while he doesn’t necessarily believe Glossip is innocent, he maintains that a new trial is essential because of prosecutorial errors.

Since his initial conviction, Glossip’s time in prison has been marked by nine scheduled executions since 2015. His lawyer, Don Knight, noted the immense toll these years have taken. “I suspect he’s going to be overwhelmed for quite some time,” Knight said. “You don’t almost get killed nine times by the state, or have three last meals — you don’t have that happen to you without it really, really scarring you.”

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Judge Natalie Mai of the District Court of Oklahoma County set Glossip’s bond at $500,000. While he is now out of prison, there are strict conditions attached to his release. He is required to wear an electronic monitoring device, he cannot contact any witnesses from the case, he must participate in a pretrial monitoring program, and he is prohibited from traveling outside of Oklahoma.

Despite that, for his legal team, the release is a vindication of their long-standing argument that Glossip was denied a fair trial. Knight expressed his relief following the court’s decision to grant a retrial. 

He stated, “We are thankful that a clear majority of the Court supports long-standing precedent that prosecutors cannot hide critical evidence from defense lawyers and cannot stand by while their witnesses knowingly lie to the jury. Today was a victory for justice and fairness in our judicial system.” He added that Glossip, who has maintained his innocence for 27 years, will now finally have the chance to face a trial that isn’t built on hidden evidence.

The Van Treese family had previously asked the Supreme Court to uphold the conviction. However, the court ultimately sided with the view that the prosecution’s failure to correct false testimony violated Glossip’s due process rights under the 14th Amendment. 

To me, Glossip’s is a great example of the need for fair trials. Too many people on death row were found to be victims or innocent over time. Just recently, four men were exonerated after DNA evidence cleared them of a crime they were convinced for over 35 years ago. One can hope that if Glossip is innocent, he can get the justice he deserves.