Richard Glossip, once nine times scheduled for execution, pleads guilty to a lesser charge in 1997 Oklahoma City killing

OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 13) — Richard Glossip, who spent nearly 30 years locked up and was set for execution nine times, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in the 1997 killing that put him on Oklahoma's death row.

Glossip entered the plea Thursday in an Oklahoma County courtroom, admitting to accessory to first-degree murder after the fact in the death of Barry Van Treese, his former boss and the owner of motels in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Prosecutors withdrew the first-degree murder charge as part of the deal, which means there won't be a third trial, KOSU reported.

The charge carries five to 45 years in prison. Judge Natalie Mai will set the sentence in December after both sides argue for prison or release. Glossip has been free on bond since May, and with nearly three decades already served, he could walk out for time served.

Van Treese was beaten to death with a baseball bat. Justin Sneed, a handyman at the motel, confessed to the killing and testified that Glossip had promised him $10,000 to do it, the Associated Press reported. Sneed avoided the death penalty in exchange for that testimony. Glossip was convicted twice and ate what was supposed to be his last meal three times before the U.S. Supreme Court threw out his conviction in February 2025, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond called the plea a hard choice for his office and the Van Treese family, but said it guarantees a conviction tied to the killing. In a statement, he said Glossip "finally took some measure of responsibility" and that the family hopes the judge gives him the maximum 45 years. A state prosecutor said in court that some witnesses have died and evidence has been lost over three decades, making a retrial risky.

Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, said the plea is not an admission that Glossip killed anyone. He told reporters the state "has finally decided to dismiss the first-degree murder charge" and that Glossip took the deal to put the case behind him and "get on with his life," according to KOSU.

News 9 reported that Glossip spent more than 20 years on death row before the Supreme Court ruled he did not get a fair trial.