Oklahoma District Judge Natalie Mai on Thursday ordered Former death row inmate Richard Glossip will be released from prison for the first time in 29 years as he awaits a retrial. During those 29 years, Glossip famously experienced multiple execution dates and ate his “last meal” three times.
May set bail at $500,000. Release is contingent on Glossip meeting certain conditions, such as wearing an electronic monitoring device, obeying a curfew, remaining in the state of Oklahoma and not speaking to witnesses.
The order cited an April 2023 letter from the attorney general to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board that said the record did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Glossip was guilty of first-degree murder. Under the Oklahoma Constitutionbail must be granted unless there is clear and convincing evidence of guilt, which leads the court to conclude that it cannot reasonably refuse bail.
The case stems from a 1997 contract killing of Glossip’s former boss Barry Van Treese. Alleged co-conspirator Justin Sneed confessed in court to beating Van Treese to death, but claimed Glossip offered him money in return. Glossip maintained his innocence throughout his defense and denied having any involvement in the actual murder.
While Glossip was incarcerated, his case was facing one Series of legal challenges At issue was his right to a fair trial, which ultimately culminated in the US Supreme Court’s decision in February 2025 to overturn his conviction. The court’s 5-3 ruling was based largely on the prosecution’s failure to correct Sneed’s false statement.
Following the decision, the prosecution followed specified The intent is to retry Glossip on the existing first-degree murder charge, but not to seek the death penalty.
Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, specified that he is grateful that Judge Mai granted bail:
In doing so, she rejected the state’s claim that there was strong evidence of guilt. For the first time in 29 years in which he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, during which he faced nine execution dates and three final meals, Mr. Glossip now has a chance to enjoy freedom as his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found guilty of serious misconduct by prosecutors.
In the bond order, Mai stated, “It is the hope of the court that a new, error-free trial will provide all interested parties and the citizens of Oklahoma the closure they deserve.”
