Richard Glossip, who was once on death row in Oklahoma, is soon back in court. His murder case is moving closer to a new trial, almost 30 years after he was first sentenced to death. He has been so close to execution that he’s had three last meals.
Richard Glossip, now 63, was convicted over the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese in Oklahoma City. Prosecutors stated the crime was part of a murder-for-hire plot involving Glossip and maintenance worker Justin Sneed, who later testified against him in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
However, the case has been thrown into years of legal turmoil. In fact, it has been almost 30(!) years. Glossip has been behind bars ever since, and has been so close to execution that he’s been eating his last meal three times.
His death sentence was scheduled nine times before being halted. A major shift occurred last year when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
The Court agreed with both Glossip’s legal team and the state of Oklahoma that his original trial was unfair, paving the way for a new phase in his decades-long legal battle.
