Oklahoma Court Of Criminal Appeals Denies 2nd Application For Evidentiary Hearing For Richard Glossip

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has denied the second application for an evidentiary hearing for death row inmate Richard Glossip.

The court also denied an application for post-conviction relief and a motion for discovery.

Thursday's denial is the second of two appeals that were denied this month.

Richard Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, released this statement following the court's decision: “The only thing we asked for in our two petitions was a fair hearing on our newly discovered evidence that the jury never heard. We are extremely disappointed that instead of giving us this opportunity, the Court improperly assumed the role of factfinder, and closed off our opportunity to begin to right this tragic wrong. But our fight to free this innocent man will never end. It is now clear that the District Attorney’s office has been withholding exculpatory information from the Glossip defense team ever since the trial, and we know there is still more information they have not shown us. What are the authorities so afraid of? It is critical that a full review of all the evidence be conducted before the State of Oklahoma makes the irrevocable mistake of executing an innocent man.” 

Glossip has been convicted twice for ordering the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese.

Lawyers for Glossip said the new information they presented to the court shows Glossip is innocent.

Two different juries said Glossip killed Treese alongside Justin Sneed.

Glossip is awaiting execution, while Sneed is serving life in prison after he testified against Glossip.

Glossip was set to be executed in Nov., but Gov. Kevin Stitt ordered the execution to get pushed back to February.

Glossip is now set to be executed on Feb. 16, 2023.