Former death row inmate Richard Glossip released on bond after nearly 30 years in prison

Former death row inmate Richard Glossip, who has been incarcerated for nearly three decades in his conviction in the murder-for-hire plot of his former boss, was released on bond Thursday as he waits for a retrial in his case, his attorney, Don Knight, told CNN. His release comes after an Oklahoma District Court judge issued a $500,000 bail earlier in the day. Glossip, 63, was convicted in 1998 for his role in the 1997 killing of Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, but the United States Supreme Court tossed his conviction and death sentence in February 2025.

He was previously denied bail as he awaits a retrial. “For the first time in 29 years of being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, during which he faced 9 execution dates and ate 3 last meals, Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom,” said his attorney, Don Knight, in an earlier statement.

Knight told CNN earlier Thursday he was on the phone with Glossip when bail was granted Thursday and his client is “overjoyed at the opportunity to finally get out after all these years.” Knight added, “Rich is just thrilled to have the opportunity to have some real life.” The conditions of his bail include wearing a GPS ankle monitor, adhering to a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and not having contact with any potential witnesses or the victim’s family members unless contact is made through their attorneys.

He also must remain in the state of Oklahoma, according to court records. The Supreme Court decision to overturn Glossip’s conviction and death sentence last year marked a major turning point in his decades-long legal battle. The court ordered his case be retried in Oklahoma, finding that prosecutors failed to correct false testimony in his 1998 trial that may have influenced the jury.

That false testimony came from Van Treese’s actual killer, Justin Sneed, and had they done so, his credibility would have suffered, undercutting his testimony as the state’s star witness. Sneed was sentenced to life without parole in exchange for his guilty plea and testimony against Glossip. His testimony was the sole evidence linking Glossip to the murder.

His murder conviction was thrown out, but Richard Glossip will stay in prison while he waits for a new trial, judge rules “That correction would have revealed to the jury not just that Sneed was untrustworthy (as amicus points out, the jury already knew he repeatedly lied to the police), but also that Sneed was willing to lie to them under oath,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the majority. Oklahoma prosecutors agreed to retry the case in June 2025 but denied his bail at the time. The case stems from the January 7, 1997, murder of 54-year-old Van Treese.

He was beaten to death by Sneed, then 19, court records show. At the time, Sneed was staying in the motel while doing maintenance in exchange for a room. Glossip was the motel manager.

He initially denied knowledge of the killing but eventually admitted Sneed told him about killing Van Treese. Glossip was initially charged with accessory after the fact, but Sneed testified that Glossip asked him to kill Van Treese so he could run the motel himself. His charge was upgraded to capital murder, and when Glossip refused a deal for a life sentence, insisting on his innocence, prosecutors offered the same deal to Sneed.

At trial, Glossip was painted as the mastermind behind the murder-for-hire plot. After the Supreme Court decision, Knight told CNN Glossip “will now be given the chance to have the fair trial he has always been denied.” Glossip’s next court date is scheduled for June 23. This story has been updated with additional information.