Former Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip has been granted bond and ordered released from prison while awaiting a retrial, marking a dramatic turn in a case that has drawn national attention for nearly three decades over allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and wrongful conviction.
Oklahoma District Judge Natalie Mai ruled Thursday, May 14, 2026, that Richard Glossip can be released on a $500,000 bond after spending 29 years incarcerated for a 1997 murder-for-hire case that ultimately led to the overturning of his conviction by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.
Glossip’s release comes after years of legal battles, multiple scheduled execution dates, and mounting concerns surrounding the fairness of his original trial. During his time on death row, Glossip reportedly faced nine execution dates and ate his “last meal” three times before stays of execution halted the process.
Judge Mai’s order requires Glossip to comply with strict conditions while awaiting retrial, including electronic monitoring, a curfew, remaining within Oklahoma state lines, and avoiding contact with witnesses connected to the case.
The ruling cited a 2023 letter from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board acknowledging that the evidence did not establish Glossip’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, defendants are entitled to bond unless prosecutors can provide clear and convincing evidence of guilt.
“The Court hopes that a new trial, free of error, will provide all interested parties, and the citizens of Oklahoma, the closure they deserve,” Mai wrote in the order.
Glossip was convicted in connection with the 1997 killing of his former employer, motel owner Barry Van Treese. Prosecutors alleged that Glossip hired fellow motel worker Justin Sneed to carry out the murder. Sneed admitted to beating Van Treese to death but testified that Glossip had promised him payment for the killing.
Throughout the case, Glossip consistently maintained his innocence, arguing that Sneed falsely implicated him in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
In February 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Glossip’s conviction in a 5-3 ruling, finding serious issues with the prosecution’s handling of evidence related to Sneed’s testimony. The court concluded prosecutors failed to correct testimony they allegedly knew to be false, raising constitutional concerns about Glossip’s right to a fair trial.
Despite the reversal, prosecutors announced plans to retry Glossip on first-degree murder charges, though they said they would no longer seek the death penalty.
Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, praised the judge’s decision, calling it a major moment after nearly three decades of incarceration.
“For the first time in 29 years of being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit … Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors,” Knight said.
The Glossip case has become one of the most closely watched death penalty and wrongful conviction cases in the United States, fueling renewed debate about prosecutorial accountability, the reliability of incentivized witness testimony, and flaws within the criminal justice system.
