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Oklahoma AG to Retry Richard Glossip for Murder, Forgoes Death Penalty
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OKLAHOMA CITY – 2025/06/09 18:55:59
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced Monday that the state intends to retry richard Glossip for the murder of his former boss, Barry Van Treese, despite the Supreme Court having granted Glossip a new trial earlier this year. Though, the state will not seek the death penalty in this retrial.
Gentner Drummond, the chief prosecutor for Oklahoma, stated that his office will not dismiss the first-degree murder charge against Richard Glossip for the 1997 death of Barry Van Treese, who owned the Oklahoma City motel where Glossip was employed. Instead, the Attorney General’s office will pursue a sentence of life in prison, given that Justin Sneed, who confessed to fatally beating Barry van Treese with a baseball bat, is already serving a life sentence without parole.
Justin Sneed, the prosecution’s primary witness, testified that Richard Glossip offered him $10,000 to kill Barry Van Treese. Richard Glossip has been convicted of capital murder twice and sentenced to death but has consistently maintained his innocence throughout his 27 years of imprisonment.
“While it was clear to me and to the U.S. Supreme Court that Mr. Glossip did not receive a fair trial,I have never proclaimed his innocence,” gentner Drummond said in his statement.
Retrial Based on Existing Evidence
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Richard Glossip, the Attorney General’s office reviewed the case and determined that sufficient evidence exists to secure another conviction.
“The same united States Constitution that guarantees our rights also ensures the rights of the accused,” the Attorney General’s statement continued. “Unlike past prosecutors who allowed a key witness to lie on the stand, my office will make sure Mr. Glossip receives a fair trial based on hard facts, solid evidence and truthful testimony.”
Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)
Richard Glossip had spent over two decades on death row when the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 in February that violations of his due process rights warranted a new trial. The high court overturned a decision by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, which had upheld Richard Glossip’s conviction and death sentence.
Richard Glossip previously appeared before the Supreme Court in 2015, unsuccessfully challenging Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol on Eighth Amendment grounds. Before the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in his favor, he had nine scheduled execution dates and had been given his “last meal” three times.
“While it was clear to me and to the U.S.Supreme Court that Mr. Glossip did not receive a fair trial, I have never proclaimed his innocence.”
Key Witness Testimony and Supreme Court Ruling
Central to Richard Glossip’s Supreme Court case was the testimony of justin Sneed, who initially claimed he had never seen a psychiatrist but later admitted to receiving lithium after his arrest. In 2022, state officials discovered handwritten notes indicating that Justin Sneed had informed the state he was prescribed lithium after consulting a jailhouse psychiatrist and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This details was not disclosed to Richard Glossip’s defense team, leading Attorney General Drummond to conclude that prosecutors had elicited false testimony.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that had the prosecution corrected justin Sneed on the stand, his credibility would have been considerably undermined. The revelation that Justin Sneed was willing to lie under oath would have been notably impactful, given his already questionable reliability as a witness.
Following the supreme Court’s decision, Attorney General Drummond announced that his office would determine the appropriate course of action. He stated that the “poor judgement and previous misconduct” of the original prosecutors had exacerbated the pain and frustration experienced by Barry Van Treese’s family.
“While I cannot go back 25 years and handle the case in the proper way that would have ensured true justice, I still have a duty to seek the justice that is available today,” he said.
Gentner Drummond stated in April that he believes Richard Glossip is at least guilty as an accessory after the fact, but the primary question is whether he committed murder. He emphasized his commitment to avoiding the execution of an innocent person, which motivated his decision to review Richard Glossip’s case and seek a new trial.
