Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denies new hearing for death row inmate Richard Glossip

“Over twenty five years ago, on January 7, 1997, 54-year-old Barry Van Treese was murdered with a baseball bat in Oklahoma City. In 2004, an Oklahoma County jury convicted Richard Glossip of First-Degree Murder for hiring Justin Sneed to kill Mr. Van Treese. The Glossip conviction has been affirmed through numerous appeals and challenges. Today, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied Glossip’s recent challenge, concluding that Glossip failed to show that he is innocent of the murder. The Court takes claims of factual innocence ‘seriously’ and thoroughly reviewed Glossip’s application. The Court recognized, as we have said all along, ‘Far from making a claim of factual innocence, Glossip actually raises a theory of a defense’ considered by the Court in prior appeals or applications. The Court further found ‘no evidence that Sneed has ever sought to recant his testimony in any meaningful way’ and that his testimony was ‘corroborated by compelling evidence.’

The litigation in this case is not over, but we are relieved for the family of Mr. Van Treese and for the people of Oklahoma that, after waiting so long for justice to be served, one more stage of litigation is behind them.”

“This is a very difficult decision to understand. The evidence of Rich’s innocence, and the State’s misconduct, is overwhelming and deserving of, at the very minimum, a fair hearing where we can present our evidence. This is all we have ever asked for and is something that, obviously, the State is desperate to see never happen. We still have another petition pending with the Court setting forth Sneed’s desire to recant his testimony against Rich and, most shockingly, documenting the prosecutor’s serious misconduct in coaching Sneed to change his testimony in the middle of trial. Our fight to free this innocent man will continue, and we remain optimistic that truth and justice will prevail, both for Rich and the citizens of Oklahoma.”