Oklahoma dismissed its first-degree murder charge against Richard Glossip on 12 November 2026, and he pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact instead. The deal ended a case that put him on death row for nearly 30 years and through nine execution dates. He is free on bond until sentencing on 17 December 2026.
What Did Richard Glossip Actually Plead Guilty To?
He admitted to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, which is a crime committed after a killing rather than the killing itself.
The admission covers what he did once Barry Van Treese had been beaten to death at the Oklahoma City motel Glossip managed. He helped cover a broken window with plexiglass, and he did not tell police that the motel’s maintenance man, Justin Sneed, had killed their boss.
Oklahoma County District Judge Natalie Mai accepted the plea at a short hearing on 12 November 2026 and dismissed the murder count. According to The Intercept’s account of that hearing, Mai confirmed the plea was voluntary but asked Glossip no questions about the crime. His attorney, Don Knight, said afterwards that Glossip denies any part in planning or carrying out the murder.
Why Did Oklahoma Drop the Murder Charge?
The state’s case fell apart after the US Supreme Court found that prosecutors had allowed false testimony from their only direct witness to stand uncorrected.
In Glossip v. Oklahoma, decided on 25 February 2025, the court vacated his 2004 conviction and death sentence by five votes to three and ordered a new trial. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the majority opinion, and Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the case.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced on 9 June 2025 that Oklahoma would try Glossip again for murder but would not seek the death penalty. That third trial was set for 7 December 2026, and the plea came less than a month before it was due to open. Drummond said accepting it “was a difficult decision for me and, more importantly, the Van Treese family”, and that “this path ensures a conviction related to Mr. Van Treese’s murder”.
What Happens at the Sentencing on 17 December 2026?
Judge Mai alone decides whether Glossip serves more time, because the two sides reached no agreement on a sentence.
Under the Oklahoma law in force when Van Treese was killed, the maximum punishment for accessory after the fact was 45 years. Drummond’s office has said prosecutors will ask for that maximum.
Glossip’s lawyers argue he is already entitled to walk away. Knight has said that if Glossip had been given the longest possible sentence for the charge he has now admitted, he would have been released about ten years ago. The judge can credit the years already served, which is why a 45-year sentence and immediate freedom are both still on the table.
Where Is Richard Glossip Now?
As of 14 November 2026, Glossip is living in Oklahoma, free on bond and waiting to be sentenced.
Judge Mai set bail at $500,000 on 14 May 2026, and Glossip walked out of jail the same day after nearly three decades in custody. His lawyer said only 10 per cent of that sum, about $50,000, had to be posted. Kim Kardashian, who has campaigned on criminal justice cases, paid the bondsman, according to a statement her publicist gave The Oklahoman.
His release came with conditions: electronic monitoring, no travel out of state, no contact with witnesses in the case, and no alcohol or drugs. He lives with his wife, Lea Glossip, who said after the plea that it “marks a meaningful step toward finally bringing this case to an end”.
How Did He Survive Nine Execution Dates?
Every one of the nine dates Oklahoma set was called off, most often by a court and once by the state’s own failure to assemble the right lethal injection drugs.
Glossip was served three last meals. In 2015 he was moved to a cell next to the execution chamber.
The closest call came on 30 September 2015, when Governor Mary Fallin stayed the execution hours before it was due because the state had the wrong drug in hand. Officials had obtained potassium acetate rather than the potassium chloride the protocol required. Two days later the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals put every execution in the state on indefinite hold, a pause that ran for close to seven years.
His name also sits on the ruling that let lethal injection continue nationwide. In Glossip v. Gross, decided in June 2015, the Supreme Court held by five votes to four that Oklahoma could keep using the sedative midazolam. Once executions resumed he was scheduled again, and the Supreme Court halted his 18 May 2023 date on 5 May 2023.
Is Justin Sneed Still in Prison?
Yes. Sneed is serving life without the possibility of parole, according to the Oklahoma attorney general’s office.
He was 19 and working as the motel’s maintenance man when he beat Van Treese to death with a baseball bat on 7 January 1997 at the Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City. Sneed admitted the killing and escaped a death sentence by testifying that Glossip had hired him, testimony that was the only evidence linking Glossip to the murder.
Sneed was brought back to the Oklahoma County District Court on 30 September 2026 as the third trial approached. The Intercept reported that prosecutors had by then conceded he could not be expected to remember the night of the killing. The decades-long gap between crime and resolution is a pattern in old homicide cases, as the verdict in Tupac Shakur’s murder case showed.
The Case in Nine Dates
Twenty-nine years separate the killing from the plea that ended the murder charge.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 7 January 1997 | Barry Van Treese is beaten to death at his Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City |
| 1998 | Glossip is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death |
| 2001 | The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturns that conviction |
| August 2004 | A second jury convicts him and returns a second death sentence |
| 30 September 2015 | His execution is stayed hours ahead over a lethal injection drug mix-up |
| 5 May 2023 | The US Supreme Court halts the execution set for 18 May |
| 25 February 2025 | The Supreme Court vacates the conviction 5-3 and orders a new trial |
| 14 May 2026 | He is released on a $500,000 bond while awaiting retrial |
| 12 November 2026 | The murder charge is dismissed and he pleads guilty to accessory after the fact |
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Richard Glossip Been Exonerated?
No. A dismissal is not an acquittal, and he leaves the case with a conviction on a lesser charge. Glossip maintains he had no part in the killing, while Drummond has said he has never proclaimed Glossip innocent.
Is Richard Glossip Out of Prison?
Yes. He has been out since 14 May 2026, living under electronic monitoring in Oklahoma rather than in custody.
Could Richard Glossip Be Sent Back to Prison?
Yes. Prosecutors are asking for the 45-year maximum, his lawyers are asking for release, and Judge Natalie Mai rules on 17 December 2026.
Who Killed Barry Van Treese?
Justin Sneed, the motel’s maintenance man, who confessed to beating Van Treese with a baseball bat and is serving a life sentence without parole.
Why Did the Supreme Court Overturn His Conviction?
Because prosecutors failed to correct testimony from Sneed that they knew to be false, which the court held denied Glossip a fair trial.
