Overview
- Prosecutors say Richard Glossip entered a guilty plea to accessory to first‑degree murder in the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese, replacing the planned third trial.
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the plea was accepted to secure a conviction tied to Van Treese’s death and described the move as Glossip taking some responsibility.
- Glossip’s sentence has not been set and Drummond along with the Van Treese family have urged the judge to impose the statutory maximum of 45 years.
- The case follows a long legal history in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Glossip’s 1997 conviction and death sentence, the prosecution relied heavily on testimony from admitted triggerman Justin Sneed, and Glossip survived multiple scheduled executions.
- Glossip has already been released on bond under GPS monitoring and program conditions after a judge set $500,000 bail, and defense lawyers argue his nearly 30 years behind bars should factor into any sentence while prosecutors push for additional prison time.