Nine execution dates – now the public prosecutor is withdrawing the murder charges
Glossip instead admits to helping after the crime
Quick Look
- The Oklahoma Attorney General has withdrawn murder charges against 63-year-old Richard Glossip.
- Glossip was sentenced to death in 1998, but the US Supreme Court overturned the sentence in February 2025.
- In return for the withdrawal, Glossip pleaded guilty to assisting after the crime.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Richard Glossip was sentenced to death in 1998 for allegedly killing his boss Barry Van Treese a year earlier. The US Supreme Court overturned the verdict in February 2025 because the main witness allegedly testified falsely with the knowledge of the prosecution. In the years following the original verdict, the Oklahoma judiciary set nine execution dates for Glossip, which were never carried out.
The Oklahoma Attorney General on Thursday withdrew murder charges against 63-year-old Richard Glossip. Hardly any death penalty case has attracted so much attention in the USA. Glossip was sentenced to death in 1998. He is said to have killed his boss Barry Van Treese a year earlier. The US Supreme Court overturned the verdict in February 2025 because the main witness had testified falsely with the knowledge of the prosecution, it was said.
In the years following the original verdict, the Oklahoma judiciary set a total of nine execution dates for Glossip, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, but it was never carried out. Glossip had even had his “last meal” three times.
New offense: help after the crime
Attorney General Gentner Drummond insisted on a new trial. In exchange for Drummond's withdrawal, Glossip made a confession on Thursday. He admitted he was guilty of “aiding after the fact” – a much less serious charge than murder.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
A new trial is taking place against Richard Glossip.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When will the new trial take place?
- What punishment does Glossip expect for helping after the crime?
- What implications does the case have for the Oklahoma justice system?
