Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Richard Glossip Pleads Guilty to Accessory Charge, Avoids Third Murder Trial

Richard Glossip pleaded guilty on Thursday to accessory to first-degree murder after the fact in an Oklahoma County courtroom, closing a case that kept him on death row for nearly three decades. Glossip, 63, entered the plea at a hearing on Thursday, November 12, and the state withdrew its charge of first-degree murder as part of the agreement, The Oklahoman reported. With the plea, Glossip avoids a third murder trial, which was set to begin on December 7.

A plea instead of a third trial

The plea came during what was expected to be a pretrial hearing ahead of the December retrial, CNN reported. The agreement carries no deal on punishment. Glossip will return before Judge Natalie Mai for sentencing on December 17 and 18, and he will remain out on bond until then, The Oklahoman reported. The maximum punishment for the accessory charge is 45 years. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said accepting the lesser charge was a difficult decision. "Today, Richard Glossip finally took some measure of responsibility for the murder of Barry Van Treese," Drummond said, in remarks reported by CNN through its affiliate KOKH. His attorney, Don Knight, said the plea was made to put the matter to rest.

The 1997 killing

Glossip was the manager of the Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City in 1997, and the motel owner, Barry Van Treese, was found beaten to death in Room 102 on January 7, 1997. Van Treese, a resident of Lawton, was 54. Justin Sneed, the motel maintenance man, confessed to killing Van Treese with a baseball bat. Sneed said Glossip pressured him into the killing and offered him $10,000, and he testified against Glossip at both murder trials. Prosecutors alleged that Glossip had his boss killed to avoid being fired for embezzlement. His attorneys have said Sneed killed Van Treese in a botched robbery and incriminated Glossip to avoid the death penalty. Sneed, 49, is serving life without parole for first-degree murder.

Nine execution dates and a Supreme Court reversal

Glossip was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals threw out that conviction in 2001 over issues with his defense attorney, and he was convicted and sentenced to death again in 2004. His execution was scheduled nine times, and he was served three last meals. On September 30, 2015, he came within three hours of execution before it was halted over the wrong heart-stopping drug, The Oklahoman reported. On February 25, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the 2004 conviction, ruling that Sneed gave false testimony at the retrial about why he was prescribed lithium and that prosecutors did not correct it. Drummond had joined the request for relief, then decided to prosecute him again without seeking the death penalty. Prosecutors made the plea deal in part because of concerns about Sneed's mental stability, The Oklahoman reported. Glossip walked out of jail in May on a $500,000 bond, News 9 reported.

Next steps

Sentencing on December 17 and 18 will decide whether Glossip returns to prison. It is not yet clear whether he would have to serve more time even at the maximum, because he was locked up for almost 30 years and death row inmates do not earn the good behavior credits most prisoners earn, The Oklahoman reported.