An Oklahoma man whose execution was repeatedly delayed by the state, including three times when he ate his “last meal,” has found an unlikely ally in his effort to have his murder conviction vacated.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (Republican) claimed that prosecutors withheld evidence in the 1997 trial of Richard Glossip, the murderer of his boss.
Glossip's lawyers plan to argue Wednesday in the U.S. Supreme Court to ask a judge to grant him a new trial.
“If he were to be executed, I think it would be a travesty of justice,” Drummond said in an interview with Reuters.
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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking for a new trial for death row inmate Richard Glossip. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections, via AP, File)
Glossip, now 61, was convicted of murder in 1998, but an appeals court overturned the conviction on the basis of incompetent counsel. After a second trial in 2004, he was found guilty of first-degree murder.
“After a comprehensive independent investigation, I believe it is clear that the prosecutor committed a Brady violation and committed a Napue violation by failing to share potentially exculpatory evidence with the defendant.” [Napue v. Illinois] They knowingly allowed false testimony and prevented the defendant from receiving due process,” Drummond said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Glossip has maintained his innocence in the 1997 murder of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Trees, in Oklahoma City. The other man is Justin Sneedadmitted robbing and killing Van Triese, but testified that he did so only after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000.
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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond testifies at House Homeland Security Committee hearing (Reuters/Nathan Howard/File photo)
Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and became a key witness against Glossip.
“Oklahomaans deserve absolute confidence that the death penalty will be carried out fairly and reliably,” Drummond said. “I do not believe that justice is served by executing people based on the testimony of compromised witnesses.”
Drummond said he does not believe Glossip is innocent, but he did not receive a fair trial. One of his concerns was that prosecutors knew that Snead lied on the stand about his mental state and why he took the mood stabilizer lithium.
The lead prosecutor also cited boxes of evidence from the case that were destroyed, including motel receipts, shower curtains and masking tape, which Glossip's attorney Don Knight said could prove Glossip's innocence. He said there is.
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In the years since he was sentenced to death, Mr. Glossip's execution date has been changed nine times, he has been given his “last meal” three times, and he has been married twice.
FOX News Digital contacted the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office.
Among those who remain convinced of Glossip's guilt is the former Oklahoma County district attorney. david praterhe reviewed Mr. Glossip's case multiple times and urged the state's Pardons and Parole Board to deny him clemency, even though the original case had been prosecuted by his predecessor.
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“I went through that case many times and looked at everything that was there, and there was nothing that made me question the integrity of that conviction and death sentence,” Prater said. told the Associated Press.
A decision is expected to be made by early summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
