{"id":3760,"date":"2025-07-20T23:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T23:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=3760"},"modified":"2025-07-20T23:00:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T23:00:14","slug":"emails-show-oklahoma-ag-agreed-to-release-richard-glossip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=3760","title":{"rendered":"Emails Show Oklahoma AG Agreed to Release Richard Glossip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"has-underline\">Two years before<\/span> the U.S. Supreme Court vacated Richard Glossip\u2019s conviction and death sentence, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sent an email to Glossip\u2019s attorney, agreeing to a plan for Glossip\u2019s release should a court rule in his favor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce the conviction is vacated,\u201d Glossip\u2019s attorney Don Knight wrote to Drummond on April 1, 2023, the state would bring a new charge against his client: \u201ca single count of being an Accessory After the Fact.\u201d Glossip \u201cwill plead guilty to this charge\u201d and be given credit for time served. Under the terms, Glossip would be entitled to immediate release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are in agreement,\u201d Drummond replied.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of following through with the agreement, Drummond, a Republican who is currently running for governor, reversed course and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/06\/09\/richard-glossip-new-trial-oklahoma-gentner-drummond\/\">announced<\/a> in June that Oklahoma would again prosecute Glossip for first degree murder in the 1997 death of motel owner Barry Van Treese. <\/p>\n<p>The email exchange was filed as part of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/26000546-glossip-motion-safe\/\">unusual motion<\/a> by Glossip\u2019s defense team in Oklahoma County District Court on Wednesday.\u00a0The filing asks the court to enforce the previous agreement, which the lawyers describe as a binding contract.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Mr. Glossip remains in custody despite the Attorney General\u2019s agreement that he should have been released at least two years ago, this matter is of the utmost importance and needs to be heard before any other matters are determined,\u201d Glossip\u2019s lawyers wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22murder-at-the-motel%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <\/p>\n<aside class=\"promote-banner\">\n    <a class=\"promote-banner__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/collections\/murder-at-the-motel\"><br \/>\n              <span class=\"promote-banner__image\"><br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"promote-banner__text\">\n<p class=\"promote-banner__eyebrow\">\n            Read Our Complete Coverage          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/aside>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[0] --><\/p>\n<p>Glossip was <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2022\/08\/20\/richard-glossip-oklahoma-death-row-justin-sneed\/\">twice convicted and sentenced to death<\/a> for murdering Van Treese inside Room 102 of the rundown motel his family owned on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. A 19-year-old maintenance man named Justin Sneed admitted to bludgeoning Van Treese to death, but insisted Glossip put him up to it. Sneed, who is currently serving a life sentence, escaped the death penalty by becoming the star witness against Glossip.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default alignright\">\n<div class=\"photo__container\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=4032 4032w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=540 540w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5390.jpg?w=3600 3600w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)\" alt=\"\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"photo__figcaption\">\n      <span class=\"photo__caption\">Richard Glossip is escorted from the courtroom following a bond hearing before Oklahoma County District Judge Heather Coyle on June 17, 2025.<\/span><span class=\"photo__credit\">Photo: Liliana Segura\/The Intercept<\/span>    <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Glossip had originally been charged as an accessory after the fact for initially failing to give police information about the murder. The night Van Treese was killed, <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2015\/07\/09\/oklahoma-prepares-resume-executions-richard-glossip-first-line-die\/\">Glossip said<\/a>, Sneed had woken him up around 4 a.m. by knocking on the wall of his apartment, which was adjacent to the motel\u2019s office. Standing outside with a black eye, Sneed told Glossip he had chased off some drunks who had broken a window in one of the motel rooms. According to Glossip, he asked Sneed about his black eye, and Sneed flippantly replied, \u201cI killed Barry.\u201d It wasn\u2019t until the next morning, when no one could find Van Treese, that Glossip realized Sneed might have been serious. Still, Glossip didn\u2019t tell the cops right away; he said his girlfriend suggested waiting until they figured out what was going on.<\/p>\n<p>The 2023 email exchange between Drummond and Knight is extraordinary not only because of its content, but also because of its timing. The agreement came less than a week before Drummond <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/04\/06\/richard-glossip-conviction-overturn\/\">asked<\/a> the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, or OCCA, to overturn Glossip\u2019s conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Drummond had assumed office that January and almost immediately <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/oag\/news\/newsroom\/2023\/january\/attorney-general-drummond-orders-independent-counsel-to-review-g.html\">appointed<\/a> a special investigator to review Glossip\u2019s case. The review found numerous flaws \u2014 including that prosecutors had hidden key evidence from Glossip\u2019s defense and that Sneed had lied on the stand \u2014 and prompted Drummond\u2019s filing with the OCCA.<\/p>\n<p>The email exchange reveals that Drummond and Knight had discussed Drummond\u2019s plan and strongly suggests that the attorneys believed the OCCA would grant Drummond\u2019s motion. Knight\u2019s email lays out a step-by-step process for what would happen next. Once the conviction was overturned and sent back to Oklahoma County, Drummond would retain control over the case rather than returning it to the local district attorney; he would effectuate the plea deal. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe parties agree that Mr. Glossip will receive a sentence of 45 years,\u201d Knight wrote, noting that this was the maximum sentence for accessory after the fact at the time of the murder. \u201cThe State agrees to give Mr. Glossip credit for all time he has served\u201d since 1997. He would also get credit for good behavior. \u201cThe parties stipulate and agree that, with this credit being applied, Mr. Glossip is eligible for immediate release as his sentence was completed in 2016.\u201d In exchange, Glossip would agree not to sue the state for anything related to his \u201carrest and incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDrummond has refused to complete his end of the bargain.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Knight told Drummond that he would send a document memorializing the full terms of their deal. \u201cIf I have misstated anything, or left anything out of this agreement, please let me know so I can be sure to include it,\u201d Knight wrote. Drummond offered no notes, simply replying that the two were in agreement.<\/p>\n<p>But in a shocking move, the OCCA <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/04\/20\/richard-glossip-oklahoma-court-execution\/\">rejected<\/a> Drummond\u2019s motion, setting Glossip up for yet another execution date. Drummond then took the unprecedented step of urging the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to intervene, writing in a letter that, while he believed that Glossip is guilty of being an accessory, the record \u201cdoes not support that he is guilty of first-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt.\u201d Testifying at Glossip\u2019s clemency hearing in April 2023, Drummond said, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of any time in our history that an attorney general has appeared before this board and argued for clemency. I\u2019m also not aware of any time in the history of Oklahoma when justice would require it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(cta)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22CTA%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%7D) --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(cta)[0] --><\/p>\n<p>Despite Drummond\u2019s pleas, the Board rejected Glossip\u2019s clemency bid. With Glossip\u2019s execution just weeks away, Drummond joined the defense attorneys in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. The court <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/05\/10\/richard-glossip-execution-stay\/\">halted Glossip\u2019s execution<\/a> and agreed to review his conviction. In February, the justices <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/02\/27\/richard-glossip-supreme-court-execution-death-penalty\/\">ruled in Glossip\u2019s favor<\/a>, agreeing that prosecutorial misconduct had tainted the case and that Sneed was not credible.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/02\/27\/richard-glossip-supreme-court-execution-death-penalty\/\">ruling<\/a>, Drummond made the rounds, boasting about his success before the high court. Asked at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SpHlH7wpxFY\">press conference<\/a> how he might resolve the case, Drummond said, \u201ceverything is on the table; a jury trial, all the way down,\u201d but noted it \u201cwould be difficult\u201d to retry Glossip after so many years.<\/p>\n<p>Given his public posture, there was every reason to expect that once the case returned to Oklahoma County, Drummond would seek to resolve it \u2014 even without a previous agreement. But instead, he did an about-face, announcing in June that the state would seek another first-degree murder conviction for Glossip. At a <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/06\/20\/richard-glossip-bond-hearing-oklahoma-murder\/\">bond hearing<\/a> on June 17, the state presented no new evidence to support such a prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>In the new motion, Glossip\u2019s attorneys emphasize the lack of new evidence, saying that nothing has changed about the state\u2019s case that would invalidate the 2023 agreement between Drummond and Knight. The conditions necessary to fulfill the contract have been met, the lawyers note \u2014 Glossip\u2019s conviction was overturned and sent back to Oklahoma County. Still, they wrote, \u201cGeneral Drummond has refused to complete his end of the bargain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Drummond\u2019s office did not have an immediate response to The Intercept\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(newsletter)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22NEWSLETTER%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%7D) --><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-embed flex-col items-center print:hidden\" id=\"third-party--article-mid\" data-module=\"InlineNewsletter\" data-module-source=\"web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\">\n<div class=\"-mx-5 sm:-mx-10 p-5 sm:px-10 xl:-ml-5 lg:mr-0 xl:px-5 bg-accentLight hidden\" data-name=\"subscribed\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-light uppercase text-[30px] leading-8 text-white tracking-[0.01em] mb-0\">\n      We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us.    <\/h2>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=495478&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2025%2F07%2F16%2Fglossip-drummond-oklahoma-death-row%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"border border-white !text-white font-mono uppercase p-5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 hover:bg-white hover:!text-accentLight focus:bg-white focus:!text-accentLight\" data-name=\"donateCTA\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n      Become a member      <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"group default w-full px-5 hidden\" data-name=\"unsubscribed\">\n<div class=\"px-5 border-[10px] border-accentLight\">\n<div class=\"bg-white -my-2.5 relative block px-4 md:px-5\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-body text-[30px] font-bold tracking-[0.01em] leading-8 mb-0 xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Join Our Newsletter          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Thank You For Joining!          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-[27px] mb-3.5 font-bold text-accentLight tracking-[0.01em] leading-[29px] font-sans xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you.          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?          <\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=495478&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2025%2F07%2F16%2Fglossip-drummond-oklahoma-death-row%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"group-[.default]:hidden border border-accentLight text-accentLight font-sans px-5 py-3.5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 text-[20px] font-bold\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n          Become a member          <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-sans text-accentLight text-[10px] leading-[13px] text-balance [&amp;_a]:text-accentLight [&amp;_a]:font-bold [&amp;_a:hover]:underline group-[.subscribed]:hidden\">\n<p>By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/terms-use\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(newsletter)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"has-underline\">This isn\u2019t the<\/span> first time Drummond has been accused in court filings of reneging on an agreement to resolve a criminal case. On June 30, Stephen Jones, a powerhouse and politically connected Oklahoma attorney, filed a scathing motion in an unrelated case, complaining that Drummond had weaseled out on a deal to defer prosecution of his client, a former judge suffering from dementia. According to Jones, on two separate occasions Drummond told him they had a deal, then ceased communications and instead assigned an underling to move forward with the case in violation of their agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Jones, who describes himself as a \u201cstrong supporter of the Attorney General\u2019s political ambitions,\u201d accuses Drummond of playing politics and asks the court to enforce their agreement. Ultimately, Jones contends that whatever happens, forcing his client to go to trial would end up being a public embarrassment for Drummond and his office. \u201cNo jury \u2026 is going to convict a terminally ill man with dementia in the middle to final stages of his disease and it will not be well-taken by the jury or the public if the Defendant is actually put to trial,\u201d Jones wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Glossip\u2019s lawyers have long argued that the same outcome is inevitable if Drummond persists in retrying Glossip for first-degree murder. Drummond has conceded that the state destroyed key evidence in the case and that Sneed\u2019s credibility has been <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2022\/08\/20\/richard-glossip-oklahoma-death-row-justin-sneed\/\">unalterably damaged<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to predict how District Judge Heather Coyle will rule on the motion. But the 2023 emails are explosive on their own \u2014 and could have a decisive impact on the case regardless of her decision. Under the terms of the deal, Glossip would have been eligible for immediate release. It\u2019s hard to imagine how Drummond\u2019s office can proceed with a murder trial after agreeing that Glossip should already be free.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeneral Drummond has publicly stated that \u2018a handshake is my word, and my word is my bond,\u2019\u201d Glossip\u2019s lawyers wrote in their motion. \u201cOn more than just a handshake \u2014 in fact by written acceptance \u2014 General Drummond promised to resolve this case.\u201d<a id=\"_msocom_2\"\/><a id=\"_msocom_3\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Update: July 16, 2025, 4:25 p.m. ET<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Oklahoma Attorney General\u2019s Office filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/files\/glossip-scan-misc-6877e4a106c54.pdf\">response<\/a> to Glossip\u2019s motion on Wednesday. \u201cContrary to defense counsel\u2019s abrupt, new theory, the parties have never reached a plea agreement in this matter,\u201d prosecutors wrote. A status hearing is set for July 21.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/07\/16\/glossip-drummond-oklahoma-death-row\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two years before the U.S. Supreme Court vacated Richard Glossip\u2019s conviction and death sentence, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sent an email to Glossip\u2019s attorney, agreeing to a plan for Glossip\u2019s release should a court rule in his favor. \u201cOnce the conviction is vacated,\u201d Glossip\u2019s attorney Don Knight wrote to Drummond on April 1, 2023, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}