Death Row Inmate Richard Glossip Asks District Court To Void April Clemency Hearing

Death Row inmate Richard Glossip has asked the Oklahoma County District Court to void the clemency hearing that happened on April 26.

Wednesday, May 3rd 2023, 9:15 am

By: News 9

Death Row inmate Richard Glossip has asked the Oklahoma County District Court to void the clemency hearing that happened on April 26.

The Pardon and Parole Board board voted with a 2-2 split after one board member recused himself. A majority vote is necessary for clemency to be granted.

The ruling was just a vote shy of the majority required under the Oklahoma Constitution to recommend clemency to the governor.

“The State of Oklahoma has already agreed that Richard Glossip was denied a fair trial and, to add further insult to his constitutional rights, he has now been denied a fair clemency hearing,” Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, said. “The Board’s split decision is precisely the outcome this lawsuit sought to avoid, and it underscores the grave injustice of allowing Rich’s execution to proceed without a proper clemency hearing before a fully constituted Board.”

Glossip was sentenced to death for his part in the murder of Barry Van Treese.

Van Treese was beaten to death in an Oklahoma City motel room in 1997. Prosecutors said Glossip paid a co-worker, Justin Sneed, to kill Van Treese, who was Glossip's boss. Sneed confessed to the murder, and as part of his plea agreement to avoid the death penalty, Sneed testified against Glossip.

Glossip was convicted of first-degree murder in 1998 and has been on death row since, while Sneed received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

In 2001, the Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Glossip's conviction because of "ineffective assistance of counsel." But in 2004, he was found guilty again. Then, from 2014 through 2022, Glossip's execution was stayed multiple times.

Glossip is scheduled to be executed on May 18.