A timeline of former death row inmate Richard Glossip’s legal battles spanning nearly 30 years
By Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — Richard Glossip, 63, was released on bond Thursday –– the latest dramatic turn in a nearly three-decade legal saga that had seen the former Oklahoma death row inmate scheduled for execution nine times before his conviction was overturned last year by the Supreme Court.
Over the years, the case evolved into one of the nation’s most closely watched death penalty battles –– marked by last-minute reprieves and questions over the integrity of his conviction in the alleged murder-for-hire plot of his boss.
The case centers on the 1997 killing of Oklahoma City motel owner, Barry Van Treese, and testimony against Glossip from Van Treese’s admitted killer, Justin Sneed, the only evidence linking Glossip to the murder.
Sneed’s testimony became the foundation of the prosecution’s case, and has, over the decades, spurred doubts about his conviction – Glossip has never wavered in maintaining his innocence.
Here’s a look at how the case unfolded over the past 29 years:
January 7, 1997 – Van Treese is killed the motel. Within days, Sneed, a hired handyman, and Glossip, the motel’s manager, are arrested.
Sneed, then 19, admitted to beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat. He avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty and agreeing to testify that Glossip orchestrated the killing as part of a murder-for-hire plot.
1998 – Glossip is convicted of murder and sentenced to death after Sneed testified Glossip asked him to carry out the killing so he could run the motel himself.
2001 – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturns Glossip’s conviction, ruling he received ineffective legal representation during his trial.
2004 – Glossip’s second trial ends with him again being convicted and sentenced to death.
June 2022 – An independent review commissioned by a bipartisan group of Oklahoma lawmakers raises sweeping concerns about the integrity of the investigation and prosecution that sent Glossip to death row.
The review “revealed the state’s intentional destruction of evidence” including financial records that could disprove prosecutors’ theory Glossip was motivated to kill Van Treese because he was embezzling money from the motel.
The review also found Sneed’s testimony was tainted by detectives’ tactics during questioning.
“Our conclusion is that no reasonable jury, hearing the complete record and the uncovered facts detailed in this report, would have convicted Richard Glossip of capital murder,” said attorney Stan Perry with the law firm Reed Smith, which conducted the investigation.
An amendment to the review also found letters written by Sneed in prison indicating he wanted to recant his testimony.
A second independent review commissioned by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond found Glossip’s conviction should be vacated, and he should be granted a new trial.
April 6, 2023 – Drummond formally asks the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to vacate Glossip’s conviction and grant a new trial, writing that he believes Glossip did not receive a fair trial.
“While the State has previously opposed relief for Glossip, it has changed its position based on a careful review of the new information that has come to light,” Drummond wrote in a motion to the appeals court.
April 20, 2023 – Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denies the appeal to vacate Glossip’s conviction. Days later, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denies clemency for Glossip, despite Drummond testifying about “multiple and cumulative errors” in the investigation.
“I’m not aware of any time in our history that an attorney general has appeared before this board and argued for clemency. I’m also not aware of any time in the history of Oklahoma when justice would require it,” Drummond told the board.
After clemency was denied, Glossip’s attorneys filed for a stay of execution with the Supreme Court.
May 5, 2023 – The US Supreme Court halts Glossip’s scheduled execution while justices consider whether to hear his case.
October 9, 2024 – The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Glossip’s appeal, with much of the debate centering on whether prosecutors allowed false testimony from Sneed to go uncorrected.
Drummond urged the court to overturn Glossip’s conviction, arguing that while he believed Glossip had a role in the killing, he did not believe he received a fair trial.
February 25, 2025 – The Supreme Court overturns Glossip’s conviction and death sentence, finding prosecutors failed to correct false testimony presented at trial.
June 9, 2025 – Drummond announces Oklahoma will retry Glossip.
July 23, 2025 – A judge denies bond for Glossip after the Supreme Court tossed his conviction and sentence.
May 14 – Glossip is released on bond while waiting for his retrial, with the judge’s order saying, “the Court finds it cannot deny bail to Glossip,” based partially on a 2023 letter from Drummond acknowledging the evidence “does not support that he is guilty of first-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Glossip must wear a GPS ankle monitor, adhere to a nightly curfew and avoid contact with potential witnesses and Van Treese’s family.
After walking out of an Oklahoma jail, Glossip tells reporters he is “just really happy.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Dakin Andone, Brynn Gingras, Linh Tran, Andy Rose and John Fritze contributed to this report.
