WASHINGTON (AP) — The Superb Courtroom on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing demise row inmate Richard Glossip after the state’s lawyer normal agreed Glossip’s lifestyles must be spared.
Glossip have been scheduled to be put to demise on Might 18 regardless of statements by means of new Oklahoma Lawyer Normal Gentner Drummond that Glossip didn’t obtain an even trial.
An Oklahoma appeals court docket due to this fact upheld Glossip’s conviction and the state’s pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.
The excessive court docket put the execution on hang whilst it evaluations the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no section within the case, probably as a result of he handled it previous as an appeals court docket pass judgement on.
Drummond, a Republican, supported a high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, “Glossip’s trial used to be unfair and unreliable.”
However Drummond additionally has stated he does now not imagine Glossip is blameless of the murder-for-hire killing of Glossip’s former boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. Some other guy, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed won a lifestyles sentence in change for his testimony and used to be the important thing witness in opposition to Glossip.
Two investigations have printed issues of the prosecution’s case in opposition to Glossip.
Drummond stated Sneed lied at the stand about his psychiatric situation and his reason why for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium.
Different issues come with the destruction of proof, Drummond stated.
Glossip’s case has been to the Superb Courtroom earlier than. He used to be given an previous reprieve in 2015, even supposing the court docket later dominated 5-4 in opposition to him in a case involving the medication utilized in deadly executions.