OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The U.S. Supreme Court decision late last month to overturn Richard Glossip’s death sentence from 2004 has been met with notable public reactions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI).
Reactions include Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who pointed out the initial injustice in the ruling by stating, “Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial, but today we can celebrate that a great injustice has been swept away.”
While AG Drummond reiterated he did not believe Glossip was innocent, after reviewing the case, he concluded “it is now an undeniable fact that he did not receive a fair trial,” and committed himself to finding a solution that “ensures justice is secured for all involved.”
Moving forward, as explained by DPI, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna and AG Drummond plan to work together in finding a course of action in the Glossip case.
AG Drummond stated, “She and I will collaborate together with our staffs and will review the evidence with fresh eyes and interview those witnesses that would be available to us to make a determination whether we should proceed seeking again the death penalty, whether we should proceed seeking life without the opportunity for parole, or if we should proceed with a lesser charged crime.”
The DPI cited Oklahoma Representative Justine “JJ” Humphrey’s celebration following the overturning, stating the case “encompasses many, many problems in our court system, beginning with prosecutorial abuse and criminal misconduct.”
Rep. Humphrey expressed the importance of figuring out how Oklahoma’s appellate court system, Parole and Pardon Board, and governor “all failed to consider the overwhelming evidence.”
Instead of praising the overturning, he advises “this is not a time to stick out our chest and brag, but it is a time that we should humbly review how it is possible for this to have happened in the first place.”
DPIC noted former Representative Kevin McDugle’s consistent support for Glossip.
Rep. McDugle stated, “I’m ecstatic that Richard has the decision he got…I don’t think they have enough evidence to try him again,” adding “when you get to look at all the evidence, you realize Richard Glossip should never have been on death row.”
Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, according to the DPI, stated “I can only tell you that, since 1997, a lot has happened, and the prosecution’s case over the years has not gotten better…We certainly feel better about the chances that we would have if the case went to a jury trial, and at this point in time, it’s just too soon to say whether that will actually happen.”
Attorney Knight acknowledged the court decision does not guarantee that Glossip will be considered fairly in related legal proceedings.
The DPI quoted Brian Stull, deputy director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, in his statement stating, “Richard Glossip has been fighting for two decades to prove his innocence; today the Supreme Court assured that he will finally have his day in court,” adding the overturning “reveals the error-prone and arbitrary nature of the death penalty, and the devastating impact of false testimony and wrongfully withheld evidence.”
The ACLU filed a brief calling attention to “Oklahoma’s sordid history” of violating the due process rights outlined in the constitution. The brief acknowledged that “time after time, Oklahoma prosecutors have violated these precedents, despite repeated notice that their actions were not in compliance with the U.S. Constitution.”
The DPI noted Don Health, Chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, quoting his comment, “If you just now discovered that the state withheld evidence, you should always be able to challenge that.
“I think the important thing about it, other than Richard Glossip may be a free man soon, is that the Supreme Court is not willing just to reject, out of hand, relief from a death row prisoner. They’re willing to consider it on the merits and look at the facts of the case.”
Demetrius Minor, the National Manager of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, shared on social media the overturning “reaffirms the real risk of executing an innocent person.” He added “the death penalty is the only act of punishment that is irreversible, and it’s prone to error. This should warrant the concern of all conservatives.”
The ACLU brief conclusion stated that this “glaring pattern of errors almost led to the execution of an innocent person” and “teaches that the government cannot be trusted to reliably, fairly, and equitably determine who should live and who should die.”
