Richard Glossip sentence thrown out: Reactions pour in from across Oklahoma

The Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate after ruling that prosecution errors violated his due process rights.

The 5-3 decision overturned the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals' affirmation of his conviction for a 1997 murder. Glossip has maintained his innocence for over two decades on death row, while key witness testimony was challenged after undisclosed psychiatric treatment details emerged.

The ruling was supported by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond due to issues with witness credibility. Drummond said he was pleased with the ruling after expressing his concerns about the case.

"Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial, but today we can celebrate that a great injustice has been swept away," Drummond said. "I am pleased the high court has validated my grave concerns with how this prosecution was handled, and I am thankful we now have a fresh opportunity to see that justice is done."

See Drummond's Full Statment: Gentner Drummond applauds Supreme Court's decision to vacate Richard Glossip's conviction

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty responded to the news calling it "wonderful news,"

"Today, Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Supreme Court threw out Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip’s murder conviction because a key witness lied in court and prosecutors withheld information about him.

The decision means prosecutors now have to decide whether to put Glossip on trial again. The court was divided 5-3 on throwing out Glossip's conviction, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch not participating.

On death row for more than 25 years, Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man, has always maintained his innocence.

In response to this decision, Rev. Don Heath, OK-CADP Chair, made the following statement:

“This is wonderful news! The US Supreme Court is still capable of doing the right thing. Congratulations to Richard and Lea Glossip. Hopefully their suffering is at an end. Congratulations to Glossip’s legal team for this amazing result.”

Former state representative Kevin McDugle also expressed his endorsement of the decision to grant Richard Glossip a new trial.

"This is unbelievable. I mean, praise God for this decision. I'm ecstatic. And this decision, honestly, should have been made by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. When Attorney General Gentner Drummond saw what we saw and made his decision, they should have stood with him. There was enough evidence in this case, and that’s what we tried to say all along. It should have never taken so long to get to this point. Oklahoma has got to start policing its own."

Richard Glossip: Q&A with former State Rep. Kevin McDugle on new trial decision