Richard Glossip, once a death row inmate, is poised to be released on bond as he waits for a retrial concerning a 1997 murder case. He previously faced execution thrice, each time selecting a last meal.
On Thursday, Judge Natalie Mai evaluated the extensive case records and determined that she could not deny bail to Glossip, who was initially found guilty of first-degree murder in 1998.
The judge set the bond at $500,000, stipulating that Glossip must remain in Oklahoma and be monitored electronically.
Richard Glossip, the former death row inmate, makes his way to the courtroom in the Oklahoma County Courthouse in Oklahoma City on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
This decision follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in February, which overturned Glossip’s conviction and death sentence. The Court found that prosecutors had not addressed false testimony from Justin Sneed, the actual killer who dodged execution by implicating Glossip.
The Supreme Court has mandated a new trial, expressing concerns that the jury was not informed of significant details regarding Sneed’s mental health and reliability as a witness.
In Thursday’s order, Mai noted the unusually extensive record developed over nearly three decades of litigation and said the state could not meet the high constitutional standard required to deny bail in a capital case.
Former death row inmate Richard Glossip sits next to his lawyer Don Knight in an Oklahoma County courtroom in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, said that Glossip ate a remarkable three last meals and will get the chance “to taste freedom.”
“We are extremely grateful that Judge Natalie Mai has granted Richard Glossip a bond. In doing so, she rejected the State’s claim that there is a strong case for guilt. For the first time in 29 years of being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, during which he faced nine execution dates and ate three last meals,” Knight said.
“Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors. Mr. Glossip is deeply grateful to the many thousands of people who have expressed support for him over the years and now looks forward to the day when he is exonerated and truly free from this decades-long nightmare.”
Former death row inmate Richard Glossip leaves an Oklahoma County courtroom in an Oklahoma County courtroom in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
He was convicted for the 1997 killing of his former boss, Barry Van Treese. The motel owner was beaten to death by Sneed, a maintenance worker, but state prosecutors said Glossip ordered him to carry out the crime in a murder-for-hire plot.
Glossip has been incarcerated since January 1997.
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