Death Row Inmate Walks Free After Three Decades

Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate who survived nine execution dates over three decades, was released after his convictions were overturned. However, he must remain in Oklahoma and wear an electronic monitoring device while awaiting further proceedings.

On May 14, Glossip walked free after posting bond. According to court documents, Natalie Mai set bail at $500,000 ahead of his third trial. His release came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he did not receive a fair trial.

Glossip is accused of orchestrating the murder of his former boss, a motel owner, in 1997. Barry Van Treese, 54, was found dead in Room 102 of the Best Budget Inn on January 7, 1997. Justin Sneed confessed to killing him with a baseball bat.

However, the fingers were quickly pointed at Glossip when a staff member alleged that he pressured Sneed into killing Van Treese by offering him $10,000 as payment. But Glossip’s legal team argued that Sneed killed the motel owner on his own after a robbery for his drug money went wrong.

In 1998, Glossip was convicted and sentenced to death. However, in 2001, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals threw away the verdict. In 2004, he was sentenced to death for a second time in a retrial.

On September 30, 2015, Glossip came very close to his execution. It was called off at the last minute after a doctor realized that the wrong drug was supplied for the lethal injection. Now that he has been set free, his attorneys believe that he will soon have true freedom.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, one of his lawyers said, “Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors.”

He added, “United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors. Mr. Glossip is deeply grateful to the many thousands of people who have expressed support for him over the years and now looks forward to the day when he is exonerated and truly free from this decades-long nightmare.”

On the other hand, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office remains persistent in securing a conviction for Glossip in his third trial. Leslie Berger, press secretary for the office, said, “While we disagree with the court’s decision, we remain focused on retrying this case and securing a third conviction.”