Death penalty: US court suspends execution of inmate in Oklahoma

The US Supreme Court on Friday suspended the scheduled execution of death row inmate Richard Glossip of Oklahoma. The case drew support from the state’s Republican attorney general after an investigation shed new light on evidence relating to the 1997 murder, for which Glossip was convicted of allegedly ordering the crime.

Judges acted after an Oklahoma State panel on April 26 voted against recommending clemency for Glossip, 60, who was scheduled to be executed on May 18 for his role in the murder of motel owner Barry Van Treese. .

Magistrates agreed to stay the execution while they consider whether to accept Glossip’s two pending appeals, which challenge his conviction on a variety of grounds.

Don Knight, Glossip’s attorney, welcomed the court’s action.

“We are very grateful to the US Supreme Court for doing the right thing in preventing the unlawful execution of Richard Glossip,” said Knight. “There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the State now admits never received a fair trial. Fortunately, for now, Mr. Glossip is out of danger.”

In an unusual turn of events in a death penalty case, Glossip on April 6 won the support of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who said the conclusions of an independent attorney he hired to look into the case “cast doubt on condemnation”.

“After full and serious deliberation, I have concluded that I cannot support the murder conviction and death sentence of Richard Glossip,” Drummond said in a statement announcing that he would file a motion that day urging an Oklahoma appeals court to overturn the conviction and return the case to the federal district court.

“That doesn’t mean I believe he’s innocent. However, it is critical that Oklahomans have absolute faith that the death penalty is administered fairly and safely,” added Drummond.

An independent investigation conducted last year by law firm Reed Smith at the request of Oklahoma lawmakers also raised serious concerns about Glossip’s case and conviction.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on April 20 upheld Glossip’s murder conviction, dismissing Drummond’s plea. The Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to recommend clemency on April 26, as the panel deadlocked 2-2.

Glossip’s conviction stemmed from the 1997 murder of Van Treese, owner of a Best Budget Inn motel in Oklahoma City, who was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat by maintenance worker Justin Sneed. Sneed confessed to the murder and said that Glossip, the motel manager, hired him to do it.