Former Oklahoma death row inmate back in court as case proceeds to
retrial in 1997 murder case
[June 23, 2026]
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A former Oklahoma death row inmate who was
released from incarceration after nearly three decades is scheduled to
be back in court as his case proceeds to a retrial for a 1997 killing
that put him on the brink of execution three times.
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Former death row prisoner Richard Glossip, left, speaks to media after
exiting a detention facility after being granted bond while awaiting
retrial, May 14, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nick Oxford, File) |
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Richard Glossip's initial conviction was overturned by the U.S.
Supreme Court last year, and he was released on bond by a state
judge last month. Tuesday's hearing will determine whether his
case goes straight to retrial or if he will be given a new
hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to
proceed.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has said the state
would seek to retry him on a murder charge but would not pursue
the death penalty again.
Glossip had been sentenced to death over the 1997 killing in
Oklahoma City of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese,
who was beaten with a baseball bat in what prosecutors have
alleged was a murder-for-hire scheme.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that prosecutors’ decision to
allow a key witness to give testimony they knew to be false
violated Glossip’s constitutional right to a fair trial.
Glossip has maintained his innocence and has drawn support from
Kim Kardashian and other prominent figures. Van Treese’s family
had asked the Supreme Court to leave Glossip’s conviction and
sentence intact.
During Glossip's time on death row, Oklahoma courts set nine
different execution dates for him. He came so close to being put
to death that he ate three separate last meals. In 2015, he was
even held in a cell next to Oklahoma’s execution chamber,
waiting to be strapped to a gurney and die by lethal injection.
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