Oklahoma
Oklahoma's Own In Focus: Supreme Court overturns Richard Glossip's conviction; DA to decide next steps
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Richard Glossip’s most recent conviction Friday, leaving the Oklahoma County district attorney to decide whether to try him a third time for the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese.
Decades-long case history
Glossip, who has been on death row since 1997, was convicted twice of paying Justin Sneed to kill Van Treese, the owner of the motel where Glossip worked. Sneed, who was given a lesser sentence in exchange for his testimony, was the key witness in both trials.
An appeals court overturned Glossip’s first conviction in 2001 due to ineffective counsel. He was convicted again in 2004 and sentenced to death. Over the years, his execution was delayed multiple times, including stays from former Gov. Mary Fallin in 2014 and 2015 due to lethal injection drug concerns, and from Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2022 while new evidence was reviewed.
In 2023, Attorney General Gentner Drummond ordered an independent review of the case, citing evidence that Oklahoma County prosecutors had failed to disclose. A state appeals court upheld Glossip’s conviction later that year, and his clemency request was denied. The U.S. Supreme Court then put his May 2023 execution on hold, heard oral arguments in October, and ruled 5-3 Tuesday to overturn his conviction.
Legal expert and family reactions
Longtime criminal defense attorney Irven Box, who has followed the case for years, said a retrial may be difficult because the main witness, Justin Sneed, has died.
“I think zero odds they’ll retry this case,” Box said. “They could use the transcript from the prior trial, but the main witness is deceased.”
Barry Van Treese’s son, Derek Van Treese, issued a statement saying, in part: “For the last 10,276 days, we’ve been waiting for justice. The family remains confident that when that new trial is held, the jury will return the same verdict as in the first two trials—guilty of first-degree murder.”
Box suggested prosecutors might opt for a lesser charge to resolve the case quickly.
“My opinion is in the next days, weeks, or months, they’ll bring him back to court, reduce the charge—maybe to a lesser charge like murder or manslaughter—give him time credit for the years he’s been in prison, and then I think he’ll be released,” Box said.
The Van Treese family has stated they want the case pursued as a death penalty case and do not want the DA to seek a lesser charge.
Next steps for Glossip
Glossip’s wife, Leah Rogers, said they were overcome with emotion when they received the Supreme Court’s decision over the phone Friday morning. The couple married inside the state penitentiary in 2022.
The Death Penalty Information Center said Glossip could become the 201st U.S. prisoner exonerated from death row if he is not convicted again. Eleven former Oklahoma death row inmates have been acquitted or had their charges dismissed, including Glenn Simmons, who was freed in 2023 after prosecutors found key evidence was withheld in his case.
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna will now decide whether to refile charges. In a statement, Behenna said she has discussed the ruling with Drummond and will review the opinion before determining the next steps.
🔹 Richard Glossip Legal Analyst Steps After Overturn – Read More Here
🔹 Reactions Pour In After Richard Glossip’s Death Row Sentence Thrown Out – Full Story Here
🔹 Q&A with Former State Rep. Kevin McDugle on Richard Glossip’s New Trial Decision – See the Interview
🔹 Richard Glossip: Full Timeline of His Case – View Timeline Here
🔹 Richard Glossip: Ex-Oklahoma Lawmaker Says Supreme Court Ruling Should Spark Death Penalty Reform – Read More Here
It was a rookie year to remember for Lily Pederson and Elle Mueller on the University of Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team. The freshmen helped lead the Sooners to their seventh NCAA title back in April.
“I knew it could be achievable, but I didn’t know freshman year, right out of the gate,” Mueller said.
“Being able to have two people from the same state, and two friends being able to go to the same college, and accomplish both of our dreams and goals, it’s amazing,” Pederson said.
Pederson grew up competing for Flips Gymnastics in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Mueller at Twin City Twisters in Champlin, Minnesota. The two often competed against each other as kids.
Ali Gradischer / Getty Images
“So literally we’ve known each other since we were so young, to now we’re teammates at OU, so now it’s so cool that both of us from Minnesota are now at the number one college,” Pederson said.
Now, these northerners are creating names for themselves in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
“Yeah, we’re really proud. I mean, we get made fun of for our accents sometimes, but it’s fine, it’s totally fine,” Pederson said, laughing.
It was a rare experience for two freshmen to contribute in big ways at the Division I NCAA Nationals. Mueller competed on the floor, earning a 9.90, and again on the vault, earning a 9.98 for the Sooners.
“I wasn’t competing for myself anymore, I was competing for my team because we all wanted to win that national championship,” Mueller said.
Pederson competed on the beam, vault and bars at nationals. She rebounded from a fall on the beam in the semifinals in a huge way, earning a 9.9375 after nailing her dismount when it mattered most.
Aric Becker/ISI Photos / Getty Images
“On day two, I completed the best beam routine I’ve had in my life. I had the best score I’ve ever had,” Pederson said. “It was such an amazing feeling, and knowing everyone believed in me and was confident in me, like the celebration after, it was a feeling like no other. I was feeling all the emotions and it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”
No matter how big the wins are now and in the future, these gymnasts are always thankful for where the love of this sport started.
“[It] keeps me humble and keeps me to myself and reminds me of how far I’ve come,” Mueller said.
The Sooners had a nearly undefeated season and won the SEC for the first time in this conference.
Oklahoma
NBA Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder 123-107 Indiana Pacers – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes 3,000 points
“They play a full 48 minutes and you can’t just throw the first punch,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “You’ve got to try to throw all the punches all night.
“That’s what we did. We threw enough punches tonight to get a ‘W’.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, added five rebounds and eight assists.
The Thunder’s Jalen Williams scored 19 points, Aaron Wiggins had 18 and Chet Holmgren recovered from a disappointing six points in game one to score 15 points with six rebounds.
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton was limited to 17 points, three rebounds and six assists.
“It’s still a race – first to four,” he said. “We are going to our home court tied 1-1.”
Haliburton walked out of the post-game news conference with a slight limp.
Seven Pacers players scored in double figures, including Myles Turner with 16 points and Pascal Siakam with 15.
What is the difference between tornado watch vs tornado warning?
Severe weather season is underway in Oklahoma. It’s important to understand these terms before an alert is issued.
After weekend storms brought possible tornado damage to McAlester, Cimmaron and other communities in Oklahoma, the state could face another bout of severe storms tonight that could result in large hail, damaging winds, and potentially tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, the risk of storms should start Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m. and continue into Monday morning, with much of the state expecting some level of severe weather through the day.
The potential for tornadoes is low, but softball-size hail could develop, and winds could top 80 mph.
Severe weather is expected to develop in the northwestern portions of the state between 3-7 p.m., reach Oklahoma City between 5-9 p.m., and cross southeast between 8-11 p.m. Sunday.
On Monday and Tuesday, much of the state should get a break from severe weather, with sunny and warm conditions. Chances of thunderstorms return Wednesday and into next weekend.
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Weather alerts: See where tornado watch, tornado warnings have been issued
What to do when there’s a tornado watch
Be prepared — tornadoes are possible in and around the area mentioned in the watch. Be ready to act quickly.
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What to do when there’s a tornado warning
Take action now. A warning means someone saw a tornado or one was indicated by weather radar. Under a tornado warning, there’s imminent danger to life and property. Everyone should move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows.
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