The Supreme Court throws the conviction for murder and the death sentence of Richard Glossip – Associated Press

He Supreme Court On Tuesday he eliminated the conviction for murder and death penalty for Richard Glossip, a Oklahoma man who was found guilty for the murder of a motel owner but has firmly kept his innocence and avoided multiple attempts from the state to execute it.

Glossip’s wife, Lea, described the decision “a responded prayer.” Glossip, now 62, has spent almost half of his life after bars for his role in a 1997 murder in a motel in Oklahoma City.

The decision of the prosecutors to allow a key witness to testify that they knew that the constitutional right of Glossip were violated in a fair trial, the judges ruled in a case that produced a rare alliance of their lawyers and the Republican Attorney General of the State in support of a new day in the court for Glossip.

“Glossip has the right to a new trial,” Judge Sonia Sotomayor wrote for five judges.

Judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dismit, voting to defend the conviction and the death sentence, while Judge Amy Roney Barrett would have allowed a state court of appeals to decide how to proceed.

Thomas wrote that most had “set aside” the interests of the victim’s family Barry Van Treise. The victim’s relatives I had told the Superior Court They wanted to see Glossip executed. A message that remains with Van Trese’s brother, Ken Van Tresese, was not immediately returned on Tuesday.

Don Knight, Glossip’s lawyer, said the court was right when revoking the conviction because prosecutors hid critical evidence of the defense team. “Today was a victory for justice and equity in our judicial system,” Knight said in a statement. “Rich Glossip, who has maintained his innocence for 27 years, will now have the opportunity to have the fair trial that has always been denied.”

Glossip’s wife wrote in a text Associated Press: “Rich and I opened the decision together on the phone this morning, knowing that it would be a moment that changes life. To say that we are overcome by emotion is euphemism. We are deeply grateful. Today is really a replied sentence. “

Glossip is expected, who is currently in the penitentiary of the state of Oklahoma of maximum security in Mcalester, remains in prison, at least until the State decides if he tries again, the Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond Said at a press conference after the decision of the Supreme Court.

“I don’t think Richard Glossip is innocent,” Drummond said, although he sought and praised the court ruling. He also admitted that it could be difficult to put Glossip in trial again after so many years.

Drummond County District and Oklahoma, Vicki Behenna, Democrat, plan to consult what will happen later. Behenna has said previously that she would not consider the death penalty in the case.

Oklahoma’s most important criminal appeals had repeatedly confirmed the conviction and sentence, even after the State put on the side of Glossip.

Glossip was convicted and convicted of death for the murder of Van Tresese, owner of the motel where he was beaten to death with a baseball bat, in which prosecutors have claimed that it was a rental murder scheme. Glossip was an employee.

He has always denied having killed Van Trese, although he recognized deceptive investigators after crime. Another man, Justin SneedHe admitted stealing and killing Van Treese, but testified that he only did it after Glossip promised to pay him $ 10,000. Sneed received a life imprisonment in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

In 2023, Drummond said the boxes of new evidence persuaded him that Glossip’s trial was not fair.

The new evidence showed that prosecutors knew that Sneed lied in the witness position about their psychiatric condition and their reason to take the lithium of drug stabilizer of mood, Sotomayor wrote. Drummond was also worried about an evidence box in the case that was destroyed, he wrote. The evidence included motel receipts, a shower curtain and a masking tape that Knight has said that Glossip’s innocence could have potentially proven.

At least five judges voted in 2023 to block Glossip’s execution while his case was developed. Thirteen months ago, the Superior Court agreed to assume the claim that his judgment was unfair. Justice Neil Gorsuch He did not participate in the case, presumably because he participated in him in a previous stage when he was a judge of the Court of Appeals.

Oklahoma has established execution dates nine times for Glossip. Has eaten three “last meals” and has been married twice While waiting for execution.

The court faced two legal issues, if Glossip’s rights were violated because the evidence was not delivered and if the Oklahoma court decision It should keep the conviction and sentence, achieved after the position of the State changed, it should be allowed to stop.

Barrett, in his separate opinion, agreed with the majority that the appeal decision should be expelled, but was not convinced that the evidence clearly showed that prosecutors knew that SNEED tried falsely.

At Glossip’s first hearing before the Supreme Court, the Court arrested its execution in 2015, then failed against it for a 5-4 vote by defending the lethal injection process of Oklahoma.

Sotomayor and Judge Elena Kagan, also part of the majority of Tuesday, disagreed 10 years ago.

Glossip avoided the execution only due to a confusion in the drugs that should be used.

Glossip was initially convicted in 1998, but won a new trial ordered by a State Court of Appeals. He was sentenced again in 2004.

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Associated Press’s writer Sean Murphy contributed to this Oklahoma City report.