Richard Glossip Pleads Guilty as Murder Charge Is Dropped

Richard Glossip pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact on November 12, and an Oklahoma judge dismissed the murder charge against him, ending the prospect of a third trial over the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese. Glossip had been scheduled to face trial in December. The plea leaves his punishment undecided.

Oklahoma County District Judge Natalie Mai accepted the plea during a hearing that had been set for pretrial matters. She did not ask Glossip specific questions about the killing. Under the law in effect at the time, accessory after the fact carried a maximum sentence of 45 years, but the state and defense did not agree on a sentence.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, according to a detailed account of the hearing. Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, has also said the court appearance may extend through December 18. The defense plans to seek time served, citing the nearly three decades Glossip spent incarcerated, much of it on death row. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said prosecutors will seek additional prison time. Judge Mai will decide whether Glossip serves more time or is released.

Knight said Glossip’s plea acknowledges allegations that...