Oklahoma death row inmate released from prison after 30 years, awaiting retrial

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Published  May 15, 2026 10:33am CDT
FOX Local

Oklahoma Department of Corrections

The Brief

    • Richard Glossip, who has been on death row for nearly 30 years, has been released from prison and is awaiting a retrial.
    • Last year, the United States Supreme Court tossed his conviction, saying prosecutors allowed a key witness to give testimony they knew to be false.
    • Glossip’s case has attracted a lot of attention from celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Kim Kardashian and other prominent figures.

A man who has been on Oklahoma’s death row for decades has been released from prison and is awaiting a new trial. 

Richard Glossip was tried and convicted for the 1997 Oklahoma City homicide of his former boss. Motel owner Barry Van Treese was beaten to death with a baseball bat in a murder prosecutors describe as a murder-for-hire scheme. 

Conviction overturned

What we know:

Last year, the United States Supreme Court tossed his conviction, saying prosecutors allowed a key witness to give testimony they knew to be false, which violated Glossip’s right to a fair trial. 

On Thursday, Judge Natalie Mai set a bond for $500,000 and set an order for Glossip to wear an electronic monitoring device. He also cannot travel outside of Oklahoma, must not contact any witnesses in the case and cannot consume any drugs or alcohol. 

Glossip’s case has attracted a lot of attention from celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Kim Kardashian and other prominent figures. His case was also featured in a 2017 documentary called, "Killing Richard Glossip." 

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 29:  Anti-death penalty activists, including members of MoveOn.org and other advocay groups rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in a final attempt to prevent the execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip on September 29 …

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What they're saying:

"Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors," said his attorney Donald Knight.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced the state would seek to retry him for the murder charge, but will not be pursuing the death penalty. 

What they're saying:

"The court fully expects that the state will rigorously prosecute its case going forward and the defense will provide robust representation for Glossip," the judge wrote in the order. "The court hopes that a new trial, free of error, will provided all interested parties and the citizens of Oklahoma, the closure they deserve."

RELATED: Richard Glossip: Oklahoma court upholds man's murder conviction, paving way for execution

Awaiting death for 30 years

Timeline:

Since Glossip’s conviction in 1997, Oklahoma courts have set nine different dates for his execution, including three separate last meals. 

In 2015, a drug mix-up led to nearly a seven-year moratorium on executions in Oklahoma. One of the three drugs they used to carry out the lethal injection didn’t match state guidelines. The Department of Corrections receives their lethal injection drugs on the day of an execution. 

Glossip was also granted a reprieve to review claims of new evidence. 

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando. 




 


 

Crime and Public SafetyOklahoma