OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — After spending nearly 30 years on death row, Richard Glossip has seen the first-degree murder charge against him dismissed by the state of Oklahoma, ending a decades-long murder prosecution that became one of the nation’s most closely watched death penalty cases.
The dismissal came Thursday, Nov. 12, after Glossip pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder in connection with the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese. Although the agreement eliminates the possibility of another murder trial, Glossip could still face additional prison time when he is sentenced in December.
The resolution marks a significant development for a man who spent nearly three decades fighting his conviction and death sentence. Glossip faced nine execution dates, received three last meals and came within minutes of being executed for a murder he has consistently maintained he did not commit.
In February 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Glossip’s conviction, finding that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by failing to correct false testimony from a key witness.
Don Knight, Glossip’s longtime attorney, issued a statement following the dismissal, emphasizing the toll the legal battle has taken on his client.
“For 30 years, Richard Glossip has maintained his innocence. After nearly executing him nine times, the State of Oklahoma has now dismissed the murder charge against him,” Knight said.
Knight explained that Glossip entered the accessory plea to bring the lengthy proceedings closer to a conclusion.
“We believe Rich has more than paid his debt to society by spending nearly 30 years on death row, during which time he was served three last meals, and came within minutes of being executed for a crime he did not commit,” Knight said.
Glossip has been living outside prison since his release on bond in May 2026, following a court determination that he could be released while awaiting retrial.
“In May, the court determined that Rich could be released on bond, and since that time he has been living a peaceful and law-abiding life. Sentencing will be held in December,” Knight said.
Knight emphasized that Glossip has already served considerably more time than he would have faced had he been convicted of the accessory offense in 1997.
“In 1997, had Rich been given the longest possible sentence for the crime he pled guilty to today, he would never have been on death row and would have been released ten years ago,” Knight said.
“We look forward to an opportunity to show why returning him to custody would not serve the interests of justice, and to ending this nightmare for Rich and all concerned.”
The case against Glossip was built largely on the testimony of Justin Sneed, who admitted beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat at an Oklahoma City motel where Glossip worked as manager.
Sneed testified that Glossip had offered him $10,000 to commit the murder. In exchange for his testimony against Glossip, Sneed avoided the death penalty and received a life sentence without parole.
Glossip maintained that he had not planned or participated in the killing. His defense has acknowledged that he helped conceal evidence afterward but disputed the prosecution’s allegations that he arranged the murder.
Questions about Sneed’s credibility became central to Glossip’s appeals. Evidence that emerged years after the original trials showed that prosecutors had failed to disclose information about Sneed’s psychiatric treatment and had allowed him to give false testimony concerning that treatment.
In 2023, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond acknowledged serious problems with the prosecution and supported overturning Glossip’s conviction.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals nevertheless denied relief, prompting the case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
In its February 2025 ruling, the Supreme Court concluded that prosecutors violated the constitutional protections established in Napue v. Illinois, which prohibit the state from knowingly allowing false testimony to go uncorrected.
Writing for the majority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor concluded that prosecutors had failed to correct testimony that could have influenced the jury’s assessment of Sneed’s credibility.
The court determined that Glossip was entitled to a new trial and overturned his conviction and death sentence.
The ruling did not establish Glossip’s factual innocence, but it invalidated the murder conviction that had kept him incarcerated for nearly three decades.
The Supreme Court’s decision followed years of investigations into the handling of the case.
An independent investigation commissioned by Republican Oklahoma lawmakers and conducted by the international law firm Reed Smith identified serious problems with the prosecution, including the destruction of evidence and questions about the reliability of Sneed’s testimony.
The investigation also uncovered evidence that Sneed had considered recanting his testimony against Glossip.
In one handwritten note to his attorneys, Sneed questioned whether he could recant his testimony at any point during his life. Other materials indicated that he had expressed doubts about his statements implicating Glossip.
These materials were not provided to Glossip’s defense team during his trial.
A separate investigation initiated by the Oklahoma attorney general’s office also identified serious failures in the prosecution, contributing to Drummond’s decision to acknowledge constitutional errors in the case.
In March 2023, Drummond joined Glossip’s attorneys in seeking relief from his conviction, acknowledging that material misstatements by Sneed had undermined the fairness of the proceedings.
Despite the attorney general’s position, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals refused to overturn the conviction.
The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently intervened, first staying Glossip’s execution in May 2023 and then overturning his conviction in February 2025.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Drummond announced that Oklahoma would retry Glossip for murder but would not seek another death sentence.
The decision left Glossip facing the prospect of a third trial nearly three decades after Van Treese’s killing.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Glossip’s case illustrates the consequences of suppressed evidence and unreliable testimony in capital prosecutions.
More than 195 people sentenced to death in the United States have been exonerated since 1973, according to the organization.
Although Glossip’s murder conviction has been overturned, his case does not constitute a complete exoneration because he has now pleaded guilty to a related offense.
The agreement also does not resolve the disagreement between Glossip’s attorneys and Oklahoma prosecutors over whether he should serve additional prison time.
In a statement issued Nov. 12, Drummond said accepting the lesser charge was difficult for his office and the Van Treese family.
“Today, Richard Glossip finally took some measure of responsibility for the murder of Barry Van Treese,” Drummond said.
Drummond said the agreement ensured a conviction connected to the killing and provided prosecutors an opportunity to seek additional incarceration.
The attorney general and the Van Treese family are seeking the maximum 45-year sentence for the accessory offense.
Glossip’s attorneys argue that his nearly three decades of incarceration should satisfy any punishment imposed.
The dispute will be resolved by Oklahoma County District Judge Natalie Mai, who is scheduled to sentence Glossip on Dec. 17.
The accessory charge carries a sentencing range of five to 45 years, although Glossip’s time already served could substantially affect whether he is required to return to prison.
Glossip’s attorneys maintain that returning him to custody would serve no legitimate purpose, particularly given the length of his previous incarceration and his conduct since being released on bond.
The case has also raised broader questions about the use of the death penalty when convictions depend heavily on testimony from witnesses who receive substantial benefits for cooperating with prosecutors.
Glossip’s experience has become a prominent example cited by death penalty opponents who argue that procedural safeguards have failed to prevent unreliable convictions and potentially irreversible punishment.
For nearly three decades, Glossip faced execution for a murder conviction that the Supreme Court ultimately determined had been obtained in violation of his constitutional rights.
Although the murder prosecution has ended, his future remains uncertain.
Judge Mai will now determine whether Glossip’s nearly 30 years of incarceration constitute sufficient punishment for the accessory offense or whether he must return to prison.
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