Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond won’t seek the death penalty for Richard Glossip during a new trial. Drummond said he will seek life in prison for Glossip after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated his conviction earlier this year.
“The Van Treese family has endured grief, pain and frustration since the murder of their loved one, and my heart goes out to them,” Drummond said in a press release on Monday. “The poor judgment and previous misconduct of past prosecutors have only compounded that pain and frustration. While I cannot go back 25 years and handle the case in the proper way that would have ensured true justice, I still have a duty to seek the justice that is available today.”
Glossip, one of Oklahoma’s most famous death row inmates, has had nine execution dates and three last meals during his 27 years behind bars.
He was sentenced to death in two previous trials for the killing of Barry Van Treese, who was found beaten to death at the Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City in 1997.
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Glossip deserved a new trial after prosecutors failed to correct false testimony from Glossip’s alleged co-conspirator, Justin Sneed. Sneed testified he was prescribed lithium as cold medicine when it was prescribed for his bipolar disorder. The court ruled prosecutors knew Sneed lied.
Correcting Sneed’s lie would have weakened his credibility and “revealed his willingness to lie under oath,” the court wrote.
Prosecutors accused Glossip of hiring Sneed, his employee, to carry out the killing. Oklahoma County jurors convicted Sneed, and a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Glossip has maintained his innocence in Van Treese’s murder since his arrest.
While Drummond has pushed for a new trial, he has said he still believes Glossip is guilty. Oklahoma County District Judge Heather Coyle has Glossip’s next court date for June 17.
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