(The Center Square) - The Oklahoma Pardon and Paroles Board denied clemency for convicted murderer Richard Glossip after four board members split their vote, clearing the way for Glossip to die by lethal injection on May 18.
The hearing brought together two families tied together by the 1997 murder of hotel owner Barry Van Treese and some unlikely allies for Glossip – Republican lawmakers and a Republican attorney general.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the board to grant clemency to Glossip, who has sat on death row for 25 years. He was convicted twice in the murder of Barry Van Treese, even though he did not commit the crime. His co-defendant, Justin Sneed, took a plea deal and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Sneed bludgeoned the motel owner to death in 1997 as part of what prosecutors called a "murder for hire" scheme.
Drummond told the board he believed Glossip was guilty of at least accessory after the fact.
"More likely than not, he's guilty of murder," Drummond said. "But I do not believe the evidence present that he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and that's my concern."
Drummond appointed an independent counsel after he learned about a box of evidence the state had not turned over to Glossip's defense attorneys. Before that, Glossip had been the subject of a documentary and appeals from celebrities, including actress Susan Sarandon.
Van Treese's family members said the process had been "one-sided."
"It feels like a giant stab in the back, to be honest with you," Alana Van Treese Mileto, Barry Van Treese's sister, said during the hearing. "Because we have not been represented here today."
Glossip has been scheduled to die nine times and had his last meal three times. He was the last person to testify before the board.
"I'm not a murderer," Glossip said. "I don't deserve to die for this."
Glossip's lawyers are calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt to intervene.
"We will pursue every avenue in the courts to stop this unlawful judicial execution," said Glossip's attorney Don Knight in a statement. "New evidence has shown that Justin Sneed, the person who committed the murder and the star witness for the prosecution, lied on the stand and wanted to recant his false testimony. If the jury had known what we know now, they never would have convicted Mr. Glossip."
Drummond said he was disappointed with the board's decision.
"Public confidence in the death penalty requires that these cases receive the highest standard of reliability," he said. "While the State has not questioned the integrity of previous death penalty cases, the Glossip conviction is very different. I believe it would be a grave injustice to execute an individual whose trial conviction was beset by a litany of errors."
via Oklahoma's Center Square News