After nearly three decades on death row and a conviction overturned by the Supreme Court, Richard Glossip could walk free from an Oklahoma prison on Wednesday as questions linger about the case that kept him behind bars. Glossip, now 62, is scheduled for a bond hearing in Oklahoma City, marking the latest development in a case that has drawn national attention and bipartisan support, per NBC News. Glossip was convicted in 1997 for orchestrating the murder of his ex-boss, Barry Van Treese, at an Oklahoma City motel. The prosecution's main witness, Justin Sneed, confessed to killing Van Treese but claimed Glossip offered him $10,000 to do it. Sneed received a life sentence, while Glossip was sentenced to die.
Glossip has consistently maintained his innocence. The Supreme Court ruled in February that Glossip's conviction couldn't stand, citing that prosecutors withheld critical information and allowed Sneed to lie on the stand. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that Sneed's testimony was the only direct evidence linking Glossip to the murder and "there is a reasonable likelihood that correcting Sneed's testimony would have affected the judgment of the jury." After the ruling, Glossip was taken off death row and has been held without bail.
Wednesday's hearing will address the question of bond, while an Aug. 14 hearing will address 2023 talks about a potential plea agreement, in which Glossip was reportedly to plead guilty to being an accessory after the fact in exchange for time served and a promise not to sue the state, reports KOTV. "I'm aware that there was an agreement ... I was actually at a meeting where that agreement started," Oklahoma State Rep. Justin "JJ" Humphrey said Monday, per the outlet. If the judge decides an agreement was reached, the state would be prevented from retrying Glossip for first-degree murder as planned.
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