An Oklahoma judge on Thursday granted bond to Richard Glossip, a former death row prisoner who has spent nearly 30 years behind bars for a 1997 murder. The decision allows Glossip, 63, to leave prison for the first time since his arrest, as he awaits a retrial ordered by the US Supreme Court last year.
Judge Natalie Mai set bond at $500,000, with conditions including electronic monitoring, a travel restriction to Oklahoma, no contact with witnesses, and a ban on drugs or alcohol. Glossip was convicted for the murder of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese, in what prosecutors alleged was a murder-for-hire scheme.
The Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors violated Glossip's right to a fair trial by allowing a key witness to give false testimony. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has announced the state will retry Glossip on a murder charge but will not seek the death penalty.
Glossip's case has drawn international attention, with support from figures such as Kim Kardashian and actor Susan Sarandon. He came close to execution three times, even eating last meals and being placed in a cell next to the execution chamber in 2015, before a drug mix-up led to a moratorium on executions in Oklahoma.
His attorney, Donald Knight, expressed gratitude for the judge's decision and said Glossip looks forward to being exonerated. “Mr Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defence team continues to pursue justice on his behalf,” Knight said.
