Richard Glossip wakes up each day knowing that at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29, he’s going to die.
The 51-year-old has been on death row ever since he was convicted of first-degree murder nearly 17 years ago on the testimony of a single witness. Glossip has maintained his innocence from the start, and now he’s hoping that a last-minute reprieve from Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) — or the White House — can spare him from becoming the 196th person to be put to death by the state of Oklahoma.
Justin Sneed, a young contract handyman who worked and lived at the Best Budget Inn that Glossip managed in Oklahoma City, confessed to beating motel owner Barry Van Treese to death with a baseball bat on Jan. 7, 1997. Prosecutors said Glossip feared losing his job and recruited Sneed to kill his boss. Sneed would later testify that Glossip promised him $10,000 to commit the crime. Both men were convicted of first-degree murder. In exchange for his testimony, Sneed received a life sentence without parole; Glossip received a death sentence.
A judge told Glossip that if he admitted his involvement in Van Treese’s death, he would be sentenced to life in prison and eligible for parole in 20 years. Glossip said he refused to perjure himself by admitting to something he didn’t do.
Last month, Glossip went on a hunger strike, which drew more attention to his case. He had already brought several anti-death-penalty advocates into his corner, including Sister Helen Prejean, the nun and clemency advocate behind the memoir Dead Man Walking. A Change.org petition calling for Fallin to spare Glossip’s life has garnered more than 11,000 signatures.
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I’m not afraid of dying. Everybody dies. It’s just a part of life: You’re born, you die, that’s it. But I do want people to know that I’m innocent.
Everybody’s skeptical when you first tell them you’re innocent. When you’re on death row and in prison, people come up and say, “I’m innocent; I didn’t do it.” But when you look into the case and start seeing for yourself, “Hey, something ain’t right here,” then it really kind of bugs some of these people that I’m not more angry than I am. That I’m taking this like I am. But I’d rather take it like this than be miserable every day up until that day.
A lot of reporters have asked me, “If you got out tomorrow, would you be bitter toward all of the things that have happened to you?” I told them, “No, I wouldn’t.” I’m not a bitter person now, and I don’t want to be a bitter person ever. Things happen. It’s unfortunate that they do. But all I can do now is fight.
My friends say, “You just can’t seem to catch a break.” Maybe now I’ll catch the break. Who knows. It’s not over till it’s over.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length.
