Richard Glossip Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge, Avoiding New Trial After 30 Years on Death Row
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 13
Richard Glossip Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge, Avoiding New Trial After 30 Years on Death Row
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 13
Summary
Richard Glossip, 63, pleaded guilty Thursday to accessory to murder after the fact, ending the prospect of a new first-degree murder trial in the 1997 killing of Barry Van Treese.
The plea followed last year’s Supreme Court order for a retrial after Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked justices to void Glossip’s conviction, citing problems with testimony and evidence.
Oklahoma said it will seek the maximum 45-year sentence, while Glossip’s lawyer is asking Judge Natalie Mai to free him for time served after nearly 30 years in prison; sentencing is set for Dec. 17 and 18.
Glossip was released in May after spending decades on death row, surviving nine execution dates and three last meals while maintaining he did not arrange the killing.
The case became a rare bipartisan cause in Oklahoma and drew national attention after Drummond called carrying out Glossip’s death sentence a “grave injustice.”
After surviving nine execution dates, will Richard Glossip's accessory plea finally secure his permanent freedom, or return him to prison for 45 years?
How does a justice system justify seeking a maximum sentence after admitting its own prosecutorial misconduct kept a man on death row for decades?