Richard Glossip faces a 45-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to an accessory charge, ending nearly three decades on Oklahoma’s death row.
State prosecutors dropped the original murder charge against the 63-year-old after the United States Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction, VG reported.
Glossip spent nearly 30 years incarcerated, survived nine execution dates, and was minutes away from lethal injection before his execution was halted in 2015 due to improper execution drugs, according to AP.
Defense attorney Don Knight explained the change in the case.
“After 30 year, after nine execution dates and three final meals, the state has finally admitted that they do not have enough evidence to convict Richard Glossip of premeditated murder,” Knight told CNN.
Guilty Plea to Lesser Charge
Glossip entered his plea in a courtroom appearance, admitting to a charge of accessory after the fact in the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese in Oklahoma City, according to NBC News.
The guilty plea means Glossip avoids a third murder trial, though the legal battle over his remaining time behind bars continues.
“He had nothing to do with the murder, neither the planning nor the execution,” Knight told AP.
Knight said that the plea required Glossip to concede that he helped cover a broken window at the motel where Van Treese was killed, though Glossip maintained he never saw the victim’s body inside the room.
Prosecution Demands Prison Term
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond argued that the guilty plea represents a measure of accountability.
“This secures a conviction related to the murder of Van Treese and gives us the best opportunity to secure additional prison time for Glossip,” Drummond said, according to NBC News.
State prosecutors plan to ask the court for the maximum 45-year sentence during upcoming hearings on December 17 and December 18, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys intend to argue that Glossip has already served enough time during his nearly three decades behind bars.
“We believe Rich has more than made up for it after spending nearly 30 years on death row, where he was served three final meals and was minutes away from being executed for a crime he did not commit,” Knight said.
Supreme Court Overturns Conviction
The legal landscape shifted significantly in May when Glossip was released on bond following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to vacate his capital murder conviction.
The high court found that the prosecution withheld key evidence from the defense and failed to correct false testimony from a witness during the original proceedings.
Motel employee Justin Sneed confessed to beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat and testified that Glossip promised him $10,000 to commit the murder.
Sneed received a sentence of life imprisonment and served as the state’s primary witness during Glossip’s 1998 trial, which resulted in a death sentence that was later overturned before a 2004 retrial led to a second death sentence.
Court Schedules Glossip's Sentencing Hearings for December
The court scheduled Glossip’s formal sentencing hearings for December 17 and December 18, where a judge will determine whether the state’s requested 45-year sentence will apply or if his time served is sufficient.
Legal teams from both sides will present final arguments regarding the duration of imprisonment following the resolution of the capital murder charges.
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