Richard Glossip walked out of an Oklahoma jail Thursday after spending 29 years on death row, surviving nine scheduled execution dates and three last meals before the Supreme Court overturned his murder conviction in February 2025.

Supreme Court Intervenes After Prosecutorial Failures

The 63-year-old former motel manager secured his release on a $500,000 bond after Oklahoma District Court Judge Natalie Mai ruled she could not deny bail. The judge’s decision cited a remarkable 2023 letter from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond acknowledging the evidence does not support guilt of first-degree murder beyond reasonable doubt. Glossip was convicted in 1998 for allegedly orchestrating the killing of Barry Van Treese, his former boss and owner of an Oklahoma City motel.

The Supreme Court found prosecutors failed to correct false testimony from Justin Sneed, the actual killer who beat Van Treese to death in January 1997. Sneed, then 19 years old, received life without parole in exchange for testifying against Glossip. His testimony was the sole evidence connecting Glossip to the crime. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that correcting the false statements would have revealed Sneed was willing to lie under oath, severely damaging his credibility as the prosecution’s star witness.

Freedom Comes With Strict Conditions

Glossip must wear a GPS ankle monitor and observe a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew while remaining in Oklahoma. He cannot contact potential witnesses or the victim’s family members except through attorneys. His attorney Don Knight described Glossip as joyous and screaming with excitement upon hearing the bail decision. Standing outside the jail, Glossip told reporters he felt overwhelmed but amazing, expressing gratitude for his wife and legal team.

Retrial Faces Major Obstacles

Oklahoma prosecutors agreed to retry the case in June 2025 but face significant challenges. Knight told reporters that witnesses have died and critical evidence has been lost or destroyed during the nearly three decades since the original conviction. Sneed had testified that Glossip asked him to kill Van Treese so Glossip could run the motel himself. Glossip initially faced accessory charges but prosecutors upgraded them to capital murder after Sneed’s testimony. When Glossip refused a plea deal for life imprisonment, he went to trial and received the death sentence that nearly cost him his life nine separate times.