Oklahoma drops murder charge against former death row inmate Richard Glossip

Richard Glossip pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in Oklahoma on Thursday, ending a decades long legal dispute over the 1997 killing of his former boss. The former death row inmate entered the plea to the count of being an accessory to murder after the fact, a move his legal team described as an effort to finalize the case. Sentencing is currently set for December.

The dismissal of the primary murder charge comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Glossip's original conviction. In that ruling, the justices found that prosecutors had knowingly presented false testimony from a key witness. This error deprived Glossip of his right to a fair trial, leading to his release on bond in May of this year after nearly 30 years in custody.

Glossip was originally sentenced to death for the beating of Barry Van Treese, a motel owner who died after being struck with a baseball bat. Prosecutors had argued the crime was part of a murder for hire scheme, but Glossip maintained his innocence for the bulk of his imprisonment. Since his conviction in 1998, he was assigned nine execution dates. On at least three of those occasions, he was served a meal intended to be his last.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond had previously stated the state intended to retry Glossip for first degree murder while forgoing the death penalty. Drummond agreed with the Supreme Court's assessment that the original trial was flawed. He described it as an undeniable fact that Glossip did not receive a fair trial, yet his office remains committed to securing prison time for the inmate.

Attorney Don Knight, representing Glossip, noted that his client would have been free for ten years if prosecutors had originally secured a conviction on the accessory count. Knight said the plea allows the defense to argue that returning Glossip to custody for a lengthy sentence would not serve the interests of justice. He expressed hope that this step will end the ordeal for Glossip and those involved in the case.

Drummond's office plans to seek the maximum sentence of 45 years for the new plea. The Attorney General acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but stated that this legal path ensures a conviction related to Van Treese's murder. He argued it provides the best chance to secure additional prison time for Glossip, who has been a central figure in national debates over capital punishment for nearly three decades.