Anti-death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean during a demonstration calling for a halt to the execution of Richard Glossip in front of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, May 4, 2023. SUIT OGROCKI/AP
His story is the subject of a four-part documentary series called Killing Richard Glossip. He also caught the attention of Hollywood stars like Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo, but also Pope Francis and billionaire Richard Branson. Richard Glossip, 60, who was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on May 18, was granted a stay by the US Supreme Court on Friday, May 5.
The country’s highest court has stayed the execution, the time to consider the case. It was the conservative attorney general, a Republican, who unusually asked the Supreme Court to stay the execution, citing issues of procedural justice. In his report, the minister writes that the state “has reached the difficult but crucial conclusion that Glossip’s death sentence is untenable and a new trial is imperative”.
The inmate, who has pleaded innocent, was found guilty, based on highly controversial testimony, of ordering the 1997 killing of the owner of a motel he ran. He is accused of recruiting a 19-year-old young man, Justin Sneed, who confessed to the murder.
Intervention of the Pope
Supporters of Richard Glossip denounce that his conviction was based on Justin Sneed’s sole testimony. However, by pleading guilty and imprisoning Richard Glossip, Justin Sneed was able to negotiate a life sentence instead of the death penalty.
In 2015, when his execution was imminent, Richard Glossip had obtained a stay following Vatican intervention. Pope Francis’ representative in the United States wrote to the governor of Oklahoma at the time, asking him to postpone the execution.
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