An Oklahoma judge on Thursday ordered the release of Richard Glossip on a $500,000 bond, ending nearly three decades of incarceration for the 63-year-old former death row inmate. Glossip, who has maintained his innocence, will now await a retrial for the 1997 murder of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese.
The decision by Judge Natalie Mai comes after the US Supreme Court threw out Glossip's conviction last year, ruling that prosecutors violated his right to a fair trial by allowing a key witness to give testimony they knew to be false. The Oklahoma attorney general has announced the state will seek to retry Glossip on a murder charge but will not pursue the death penalty.
As conditions of his release, Glossip must wear an electronic monitoring device, remain within Oklahoma, and refrain from contacting witnesses or consuming drugs or alcohol. His attorney, Donald Knight, expressed gratitude for the ruling, stating that Glossip 'looks forward to the day when he is exonerated'.
Glossip's case drew 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 on separate occasions, before a drug mix-up led to a seven-year moratorium on executions in Oklahoma.
