The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear a case deciding whether Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death-row inmate, can receive a new trial. Glossip, who was convicted of the 1997 murder of his boss, Barry Van Treese, has long maintained his innocence—and narrowly avoided execution multiple times.
The Supreme Court has rarely heard appeals from death-row inmates in recent years. But Glossip's case has been mired in an unusual level of controversy. Notably, no one claims that Glossip murdered Van Treese. The murder was instead committed by Justin Sneed, the 19-year-old maintenance man of the hotel where Glossip served as manager. However, Sneed testified that Glossip had actually planned the crime after reaching a deal with prosecutors that would allow Sneed to avoid the death penalty himself.
