{"id":2383,"date":"2025-04-09T20:55:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T20:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/oklahomas-republican-attorney-general-explains-why-he-fought-to-overturn-richard-glossips-death-sentence\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T20:55:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T20:55:49","slug":"oklahomas-republican-attorney-general-explains-why-he-fought-to-overturn-richard-glossips-death-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunnewsusa.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/oklahomas-republican-attorney-general-explains-why-he-fought-to-overturn-richard-glossips-death-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general explains why he fought to overturn Richard Glossip’s death sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As attorney general of Oklahoma, Gentner Drummond has personally attended nine executions. Since taking office in 2023, he’s approved of every death row case in the state \u2014 except one<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

“I believed it my duty to look at\u2026every person on death row,” he told CBS News. “When I stumbled across Richard Glossip, it was different. This is an individual who didn’t murder the victim.” \u00a0<\/p>\n

Glossip<\/a><\/span> was convicted in the 1997 murder of a man who had been beaten to death. When Drummond examined the case, he learned the state knew its key witness lied during Glossip’s trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I think by Mr. Glossip’s own testimony, he’s guilty of at least accessory after the fact,” Drummond explained. “So he’s guilty. But is he guilty of murder? That was the question.”<\/p>\n

Glossip has denied being involved in the murder and maintains his innocence. \u00a0<\/p>\n

But when Drummond learned the state withheld evidence during the trial 27 years ago, he asked his state’s criminal appeals court to intervene.<\/p>\n

“I confessed error by the state and said we had information that we didn’t disclose that could have had a material impact on the outcome and, therefore, we would ask that Mr. Glossip be afforded a new trial,” Drummond said.<\/p>\n

But the appeal was denied.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I anticipated that Mr. Glossip would seek appeal to the United States Supreme Court, and we joined in that effort,” Drummond said of the next move.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He admitted, “It’s not a very popular position for a Republican attorney general…\u00a0But the mission of my office is not to protect the prosecutor. My mission is to seek justice.”<\/p>\n

The new appeal made it all the way to the state Supreme Court, which, in a 5-3 decision last month, ordered a new trial for Glossip. Now, it’s up to the district attorney and Drummond to decide their next steps.<\/p>\n

“I do not want to be culpable in executing somebody who is innocent, which is why I took great political risk to review Mr. Glossip<\/a><\/span> and have sought a new trial,” Drummond said.<\/p>\n

Asked whether there have been other cases where mistakes were made or there may have been prosecutorial misconduct, Drummond stated: “I think empirically, we know statistically that’s correct. But not under my watch.”<\/p>\n

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