Man Who's Been On Death Row For 25 Years Is 'Totally Innocent', Report Claims
Topics: Crime
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Save Richard Glossip/Facebook
Topics: Crime
A man who has been on death row for 25 years for ordering the killing his boss could be 'totally innocent' a new report claims.
59-year-old Richard Glossip was handed the death sentence for ordering the killing of Barry Van Treese, the owner of a hotel he worked at.
Glossip was sentenced for instructing handyman Justin Sneed to assault and rob Van Treese on the promise of $10,000 (£8k).
Sneed is serving a full life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to battering Van Treese to death with a baseball bat.
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According to the Daily Mirror, an execution for Glossip should have been carried out in 2015 but was put on hiatus after the pharmacist responsible supplied the prison with the wrong drug.
However, a new report made for the State of Oklahoma claims that important evidence was lost or destroyed.
The report, produced by legal firm Reed Smith, also alleges that one of the detectives investigating the case asked a series of leading questions that would implicate Glossip in the death of Van Treese.
They conclude that 'no reasonable juror' could have found the 59-year-old guilty if they had heard the 'complete record' and witnessed the 'uncovered facts' about the case.
Claims that evidence destroyed in either late 1999 or early 2000 includes records of financial transactions which could contradict the prosecution's argument that Glossip tried to hide his actions.
Glossip was first convicted before the evidence was allegedly destroyed but his initial conviction and death sentence were revoked before a retrial.
His legal team will prepare to file a request for a hearing with the Court of Appeals so that the newly uncovered evidence can be examined in a court.
"You want it to be over with, you want this part to be finished. You want to be able to take a breath and to carry on knowing that justice has been served."
— Spotlight Victim (@SpotlightVictim) June 13, 2022
Donna Van Treese, widow of Richard Glossip’s victim, Barry Van Treese. pic.twitter.com/ppCv1MWfmQ
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater is currently reviewing the new evidence and said he would support a retrial for Glossip.
However, he warned that the prosecution would be once again seeking the death penalty if Glossip was found guilty at another trial.
Glossip got married twice behind bars, first in 2018 to 21-year-old funeral home worker Leigha Jurasik and again earlier this year to 32-year-old anti-death penalty advocate Lea Rodger.
A number of famous faces support Glossip's innocence, including actor Mark Ruffalo, businessman Sir Richard Branson and holy leader Pope Francis.
Whether Glossip will be granted a new trial and a third attempt to prove his innocence is a matter of waiting.
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