Richard Glossip is an alleged American killer now serving a life sentence in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Due to the peculiar nature of his crime, he is one of the most unusual American inmates who has earned international notice. Except for the murderer’s assertion, there is no serious proof against him. He’s been in prison since 1997, and his execution has been postponed three times owing to concerns about Oklahoma’s lethal injection medications. There is a growing consensus among individuals and government officials that he is innocent. People continue to deny that Glossip was the architect behind the assassination of his former boss, Barry Van Treese. They suspect Justin Sneed, the murderer, accused Glossip in order to avoid facing the death penalty.
Richard Glossip’s Offense & Crime
The case of Richard Glossip has been in the news for more than two decades. His alleged offense occurred on January 7, 1997. Richard Glossip and Justin Sneed both worked for motel owner Barry Van Treese. Justin Sneed murdered Van Treese with a baseball bat on that fateful day.
His fingerprints were discovered on the victim’s vehicle and at the bloody crime scene. Sneed confessed to killing Van Tresse for money during interrogation.
Sneed was sentenced to death based on his testimony, but he was told that if he identified someone else as the mastermind of the murder, he may have his sentence commuted to life in prison.
To avoid facing the death penalty, Justin Sneed made a statement in which he revealed that Glossip had hired him to murder Van Treese. Glossip was sentenced to death despite the lack of supporting forensic evidence.
Glossip’s case received a lot of attention because, despite the fact that there was no proof against him, he was charged with a horrible crime based on the word of one guy — the murderer Justin Sneed.
Charges of Conviction and Legal Proceedings
In more ways than one, Richard Glossip’s case is exceptional. He was not only convicted of murder and sentenced to death based on the testimony of the murderer, but he is also the only inmate at Oklahoma State Penitentiary who has never been charged with a felony.
Glossip’s lawyer filed filings in September 2015, including two fresh witness affidavits. While one claims that Sneed told him that he lied about Glossip’s role in the case to avoid a death sentence, the other claims that Sneed acted alone based on his interaction with him.
After the original trial was deemed ‘seriously defective,’ the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals voted on whether or not to carry out the execution. Glossip was given the opportunity to establish his claims that Sneed had recanted his original statement during an evidentiary hearing.
He was voted against by a 3-2 margin on September 28, 2015, after failing to substantiate his case. He was set to be put to death by lethal injection.
Justice Stephen Breyer granted a stay of execution on September 30, 2015, as Glossip was eating his last meal before his scheduled execution. By that time, Glossip had gathered millions of followers who petitioned for a stay of execution.
The publication ‘The Oklahoman’ also spoke out against the execution, claiming that the state was ready to put a man to death whose guilt had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Richard Glossip has also enlisted the help of other well-known figures, including Mark Ruffalo, Peter Sarsgaard, Sir Richard Branson, Susan Sarandon, Sister Helen Prejean, and Pope Francis.
There is also a debate concerning the Oklahoma lethal injection protocol, which resulted in a stay on the execution decision. According to the study, the state lacked a sufficient supply of execution medicines.
Furthermore, potassium acetate was used instead of potassium chloride in earlier executions, and the matter was referred to the Department of Corrections as a result. All scheduled executions have been put on hold indefinitely.
Estimated Net worth
Richard Glossip is one of the wealthiest and most well-known murderers. Richard Glossip’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.