Supreme Court halts execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip while it reviews his conviction

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip’s scheduled execution while it reviews whether his trial and conviction in an alleged murder-for-hire plot was unfair. 

Glossip, 60, had been slated to be put to death on May 18 despite Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s contention that his trial was ”unfair and unreliable.”

In a rare move for a prosecutor, Drummond filed a motion to the Supreme Court earlier this week asking the justices to halt Glossip’s execution. 

The application for a stay was approved Friday afternoon, with Justice Neil Gorsuch recusing himself from the matter, likely because he dealt with Glossip’s case as an appeals court judge.

At the time of the Supreme Court’s emergency stay, Glossip was visiting with his wife for what he believed would be the final time, according to CNN. 

Glossip has had nine different execution dates and three last meals since his 1998 conviction and death sentence for capital murder. 

In 1997, then-19-year-old Justin Sneed admitted to robbing Glossip’s former boss, Barry Van Treese, and beating him to death with a baseball bat. 

Sneed was spared the death penalty in exchange for testifying that Glossip had promised to pay him $10,000 for murdering Van Treese. 

Two independent investigations have raised doubts about the prosecution’s case against Glossip.

Among the issues, according to Drummond, is that Sneed lied on the stand about a psychiatric condition and the reason he takes the mood-disorder drug lithium.

The state AG also claimed that evidence in the case was destroyed by authorities.

Drummond, however, does not believe that the investigations into Glossip’s case completely exonerate him. 

He believes Glossip is guilty of at least accessory to murder after the fact and is likely also guilty of murder, but doesn’t think the evidence proves it beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The Supreme Court previously stayed Glossip’s execution back in 2015 — in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions — but later ruled 5-4 against him.