Supreme Court takes up Oklahoma death row inmate’s bid to overturn conviction
The Supreme Court takes up a death row inmate's claim his conviction is unsound in a case where the state attorney general conceded testimony was problematic.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an Oklahoma death row inmate's claim that his conviction is legally unsound in a rare case in which the state's attorney general has conceded that key testimony at trial was problematic.
Richard Glossip, now 60, was convicted of arranging for the murder in 1997 of his boss at the Oklahoma City motel where they worked.
Although Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, has backed Glossip’s appeal, the state has stopped short of agreeing with Glossip’s claim that he is innocent. Even if the conviction is thrown out, Glossip could be put on trial again.
Richard Glossip on Feb. 19, 2021.Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections via AP fileIn May last year, the Supreme Court stepped in to prevent Glossip's execution going ahead.
The court had been deliberating since September on whether to even hear Glossip's appeal. In the brief order on Monday, the court said it would consider an additional legal question: whether Glossip had grounds under Oklahoma law to challenge his conviction.
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