Content warning: This article mentions details about dr*gs and violence.
Former Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip walked free Thursday for the first time in 28 years. He posted a $500,000 bond while awaiting retrial in the 1997 murder case. He was scheduled for execution nine times, the most controversial in 2025. The 63-year-old was also served three last meals.
The news came after Judge Natalie Mai approved Glossip’s release under strict conditions and set the bond at $500,000. Glossip is banned from contacting witnesses connected to the case and must abstain from dr*gs and alcohol. Glossip must stay in Oklahoma and notify authorities if he leaves.
According to the Equal Justice Initiative, his attorney, Donald Knight, said supporters were expected to help raise the bond money. This highlights the widespread backing Glossip received during his trial.
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His claims of innocence have drawn attention from high-profile figures, including reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Susan Sarandon. Sarandon played the lead role in the 1995 drama on capital punishment, Dead Man Walking.
The 63-year-old was first sentenced to death in 1998. He was convicted for the 1997 killing of motel owner and former boss Barry Van Treese. Prosecutors argued Glossip hired motel handyman Justin Sneed to kill Van Treese. They said it was a murder-for-hire scheme at the Best Budget Inn.
Sneed, who was 19 when the incident occurred, admitted to carrying out the beating with a baseball bat. He testified against Glossip, saying he was hired by him in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
Later, Sneed pleaded guilty and received a life sentence without parole. He reportedly had a meth addiction and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The verdict was overturned in 2001. Glossip’s defense attorney had failed to properly challenge evidence and testimony at trial.
In 2015, Glossip was reportedly hours from execution. Oklahoma officials then discovered they had received the wrong lethal injection dr*g. The drug supplied did not match the state’s approved execution protocol. This forced officials to stop the process at the last moment.
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Separately, the Supreme Court case Glossip v. Gross challenged Oklahoma’s lethal injection method. The case questioned whether the method violated the Eighth Amendment. The panel included Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer. It ultimately ruled 5–4 that the inmates failed to prove that the protocol caused severe pain.
Richard Glossip’s case received widespread media attention for its unusual trial. Consequently, the Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Glossip in February 2025 under the Glossip v. Oklahoma case.
The Supreme Court overturned Glossip’s verdict, ruling that prosecutors allowed false testimony from a key witness. This violated his legal right to a fair trial. Oklahoma prosecutors have since announced they plan to retry him but will no longer seek the death penalty.
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Richard Glossip walked out of the Oklahoma prison wearing a gray shirt and jeans. He was hand in hand with his wife, Lea Glossip. He mentioned the efforts of his legal team and thanked his wife for her continued support.
“I’m just thankful for my wife and my attorneys. Just thankful,” he said. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s amazing at the same time,” he said.
According to CBS News, Glossip’s wife also spoke to the media and expressed her relief. “Grateful for the court’s decision,” she said. “We have been praying for this day,” she added.
