Supreme Court grants new trial for ex-death row inmate Richard Glossip
By Jennifer Maupin , Cathy Tatom
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KJRH) — In a 5-3 split decision, the Supreme Court threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip and ordered a new trial on Feb. 25.
For decades, Glossip maintained his innocence in the Oklahoma City murder-for-hire of Barry Van Treese.
Glossip’s conviction was primarily based on the testimony of Justin Sneed, who claimed Glossip orchestrated the killing to gain access to Van Treese’s money.
An independent investigation commissioned by Oklahoma legislators raised serious concerns about the integrity of Glossip’s conviction.
During his incarceration, Glossip has been scheduled for execution nine times.
Writing in the majority opinion, Justice Sonia Sotamayor said the prosecution, “violated its constitutional obligation to correct false testimony.
As a result, “Glossip is entitled to a new trial.”
In a statement, Glossip’s attorney Don Knight said, “”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.”
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