OKLAHOMA CITY — Former death row prisoner Richard Glossip was released from jail on bond on Thursday in Oklahoma City after posting $500,000 while he awaits a retrial in a 1997 murder case.
Judge Natalie Mai issued the bond order and set conditions requiring Glossip to wear an electronic monitoring device, remain within Oklahoma, avoid contact with witnesses, and abstain from drugs and alcohol. He walked out of jail wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt and jeans with his wife, Lea Glossip.
“I’m just thankful for my wife and my attorneys. Just thankful,” Glossip said. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s amazing at the same time.”
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Glossip’s conviction last year after ruling that prosecutors allowed false testimony from a key witness, which the court said violated his right to a fair trial. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond then announced plans to retry Glossip on a murder charge without seeking the death penalty.
Glossip was convicted in connection with the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese in Oklahoma City. Prosecutors alleged a murder-for-hire scheme involving Glossip and a co-defendant.
The court order stated that the state would prosecute the case and that the defense would represent Glossip in a new trial.
Van Treese’s family previously asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the conviction and sentence. Attorneys for the family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Glossip spent nearly three decades in custody, during which courts scheduled nine execution dates. He also received international attention, including support from public figures, and his case became the subject of a documentary.
