Former Death-Row Inmate Glossip Pleads to Accessory Charge

Richard Glossip, 63, pleaded guilty in Oklahoma County to being an accessory after the fact to the 1997 murder of motel owner Barry Van Treese, accepting a lesser charge in a deal with prosecutors and avoiding a planned third murder trial. The murder charge was dropped, and sentencing is scheduled to begin Dec. 17. Co-worker Justin Sneed admitted killing Van Treese and testified that Glossip arranged the murder. Glossip’s murder conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025 after he spent nearly three decades on death row. By entering the plea, Glossip abandoned his long-standing claims of innocence.