Richard Glossip to be executed despite doubts over his guilt

An Oklahoma court has rejected the appeal of death row inmate Richard Glossip, two weeks after he was granted a stay of execution after fresh evidence suggested he had been framed.

Glossip was convicted of ordering the killing of his boss, who was bludgeoned to death by employee Justin Sneed in 1997, after Sneed testified against him in order to escape the death penalty.

But Glossip's lawyers now say they have a statement from a prison inmate who said he heard Glossip's former colleague boast about implicating him as well as other evidence that points to his innocence, Sky News reports.

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Despite this, the court rejected the appeal in a 3-2 decision, ruling that the new evidence "merely builds upon" what was previously submitted and Sneed's testimony "was sufficiently corroborated for a conviction".

But the two judges who dissented have expressed serious concerns over the case, with Judge Clancy Smith arguing that "the tenuous evidence [against Glossip] is questionable at best" and Judge Arlene Johnson calling the case "deeply flawed".

Glossip is now scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection tomorrow afternoon, despite continued appeals from human rights groups, politicians and celebrities to halt his execution.

His lawyers have vowed to continue fighting until the end. "We are not done. We are continuing to weigh our options," Donald Knight told The Guardian.

"We continue to believe in our client's innocence."

Richard Glossip: new evidence halts execution in Oklahoma

17 September

The execution of Richard Glossip has been halted by an Oklahoma court just hours before he was due to be put to death by lethal injection.

The appeals court has postponed his execution until the end of the month in order to examine fresh evidence submitted by Glossip's lawyers which they say points to his innocence.

The 52-year old's case has caught the attention of international media, celebrities and politicians who have expressed serious concerns over the evidence against him and the method of execution.

"We're relieved that the court has delayed today's execution in order to explore every possible avenue of justice in this case, but Richard’s life is still on the line," said Steven W Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

Glossip pleaded not guilty but was convicted of ordering the killing of his boss and motel-owner Barry Van Treese, who was bludgeoned to death by employee Justin Sneed in 1997. The prosecution argued that Glossip hired the 19-year-old maintenance worker to murder their employer before he discovered Glossip had been embezzling money from the motel.

Sneed admitted murder and accepted a plea bargain to testify against his colleague in order to escape the death penalty. The case relied almost solely on Sneed's testimony as there was no DNA evidence or fingerprints tying Glossip to the crime.

"At first I was angry at Justin, but now I feel sorry for him," Glossip said. "He's afraid of how Oklahoma will kill him if he owns up to what really happened, just like I am afraid of how they'll kill me."

The new evidence obtained by Glossip's lawyers includes a statement from a prison inmate who knew Sneed and heard him boast about implicating Glossip, according to Sky News.

Sneed's own daughter wrote a letter to the Parole and Pardon board which discredited her father's story, but it arrived too late to be considered.

"I am sure that Mr Glossip did not do what my father originally said, that he did not hire my father to kill Mr Van Treese, and he doesn't deserve to die over my father's actions," she wrote.

A videotape which shows Sneed being interrogated by police asking leading questions and coaxing Sneed into implicating Glossip was also never shown to the jury, The Guardian reports.

One of the jurors from Glossip's first trial told Oklahoma City's Fox 25 that if the defence would have presented the case they are presenting now, "I would not have given a guilty verdict".

However, the New York Times reports that Attorney General Scott Pruitt believes the conviction would be upheld despite the new evidence.

"I'm confident that the Court of Criminal Appeals, after reviewing the filings, will conclude there is nothing worthy which would lead the court to overturn a verdict reached by two juries who both found Glossip guilty and sentenced him to death," he said.

Glossip's new attorney Donald Knight told the Guardian that Richard was sentenced to death because he is poor and his state-appointed lawyers failed to pursue important lines of inquiry.

"Not very many people can afford a death penalty defence," he said. "That should scare everyone."

There are also significant concerns over the method of his execution. The experimental cocktail of lethal drugs which will be used has lead to prolonged and extremely painful executions. One prisoner who received the injection gasped and struggled to breathe for nearly two hours.

Speaking ahead of his execution, Glossip said he was prepared for death. "I don't want to be a martyr, and I don't want to die. Believe me, I want to live, but if my death would stop anybody else from having to go through what I went through for 18 years, I'd be more than happy to die for them.

"I just want everyone to know the truth," he said. "If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone."