The family of murdered Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese told Fox News Digital they are “confident” Richard Glossip will once again be found guilty after the Supreme Court tossed out his conviction and ordered a new trial.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a majority opinion Tuesday that “the prosecution violated its constitutional obligation to correct false testimony” in court proceedings against Glossip, who was convicted and sentenced to death following the 1997 killing. Prosecutors alleged that it was a murder-for-hire scheme.
“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,” Derek Van Treese, Barry’s son, said in a statement to Fox News Digital provided by the family’s lawyer, Paul Cassell.
“The burning issue here is of process and procedure. The U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that one small bit of impeachment evidence should have been presented at Glossip’s trial and has remanded for a new trial,” he continued. “Two juries have shown that the issue at hand isn’t one of guilt or innocence, Glossip is clearly guilty of first-degree murder.”
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Derek Van Treese added that “For the last 10,276 days, we’ve been waiting for justice for the murder of Barry Van Treese.”
“As difficult as it may be to start fresh on a 28-year-old case, I hope that the Attorney General and the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office can begin to show the perseverance that our family has shown throughout this process,” he also said. “We pray that they exhibit the fortitude to take politics out of the equation and process this case as it is, a death penalty case, and not take the easy road of a lesser charge. If they find themselves unable to shoulder the burden, they should recuse themselves and allow someone with the aptitude and skill necessary to prosecute this case so it can finally be laid to rest, once and for all.”
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Don Knight, Glossip’s attorney, told the Associated Press that the Supreme Court’s ruling “was a victory for justice and fairness in our judicial system.”
“Rich and I opened the decision together on the phone this morning, knowing it would be a life-changing moment,” his wife said in a text message to the AP following the Supreme Court’s announcement. “To say that we are overcome with emotion is an understatement. We are deeply grateful. Today is truly an answered prayer.”
Glossip, 62, is currently being held at the maximum-security Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, according to the AP.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond was quoted by the news agency as saying that Glossip will remain in custody, and he will now consult with the Oklahoma County district attorney over whether to try Glossip again and if the state should seek the death penalty or lesser charges.
“I do not believe Richard Glossip is innocent,” Drummond reportedly added, noting that “I have conferred with several members of the Van Treese family and given them my heartfelt sadness for where they are, where they find themselves.”
Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.
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