Richard Glossip pleads guilty to lesser charge; Oklahoma murder charge dismissed
Photo: NBC NewsRichard Glossip, 63, a former Oklahoma death row prisoner, pleaded guilty Thursday to being an accessory after the fact to murder, and Oklahoma County Judge Natalie Mai dismissed the murder charge in the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese. His attorney, Don Knight, said sentencing is set for December, when Glossip could be released or sent back to prison for another 15 years. The plea came less than a month before a scheduled third trial. Van Treese was beaten to death with a baseball bat; prosecutors alleged a murder-for-hire plot. Justin Sneed admitted the killing but said Glossip promised him $10,000, and he received a life sentence after testifying against Glossip. Glossip spent nearly 30 years incarcerated. The U.S. Supreme Court threw out his conviction in February 2025, and he was released on bond in May. Attorney General Gentner Drummond had planned a retrial without the death penalty while agreeing Glossip did not get a fair trial.
Left-leaning outlets CBS News and NBC News lead with the dismissal and plea as relayed by Knight. They give the Supreme Court ruling, with NBC specifying that prosecutors let false testimony stand, and Drummond's concession. CBS adds the three near-executions and support from Kim Kardashian, while NBC adds Knight's point that an accessory conviction would have freed Glossip a decade ago. The Intercept, an alternative outlet, differs by describing the hearing: Van Treese's family in the jury box, routine voluntariness questions, and no questions about the crime. It also notes the 45-year maximum. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the Supreme Court ruling and Knight's statements; alternative sources add courtroom detail and sentencing limits; right sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
CBS and NBC lead with the plea and dismissal as described by attorney Don Knight, citing the Supreme Court ruling and Attorney General Drummond's statements on the retrial and the unfair trial.
The Intercept focuses on the courtroom scene, including Judge Mai, Van Treese's family present, the lack of questions about the crime, and the 45-year maximum for the accessory charge.
Not covering this story. None of the right-leaning outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.