PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "So, when the Oklahoma County DA and the acting state attorney general say, as they did in response to our letter to Gov. Stitt, that Glossip has already been given two trials, it doesn’t mean the system got it right. Detectives, judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and jurors can and do make mistakes. We know innocent people occasionally land on death row. We must take that risk seriously and, when we see the problem clearly, right the wrong before it is too late."
COMMENTARY: "We must be certain about his guilt before we execute, "by legislators Kevin McDugle, Justin Humphrey and Blake “Cowboy” Stephens.
GIST: "Last week, we released a letter signed by 34 Oklahoma state legislators asking Gov. Kevin Stitt to order an independent investigation into the death row case of Richard Glossip, the motel manager convicted of commissioning the murder of Barry Van Treese.
Don Knight, Glossip’s attorney, described new evidence his team has uncovered since 2015 that shows that far from a murder-for-hire plot, Justin Sneed, the confessed killer, hatched a plan with his girlfriend to rob Van Treese to support his raging meth addiction, and that Van Treese was killed when the robbery went awry.
More unsettling is information showing that the two Oklahoma City detectives did not conduct a thorough investigation. They failed to investigate numerous leads about a robbery and an accomplice, and only focused on a fabricated theory that Glossip must somehow be involved.
Inexplicably, they closed the investigation after just 10 days. Glossip’s court-appointed lawyers also failed to conduct any meaningful investigation so that none of the evidence Knight’s team was able to find, even after 20 years, came to light until it was far too late.
As legislators, many of us are strong believers in the death penalty. It is a just and scriptural response to the most heinous crimes. We know that Oklahomans overwhelmingly support this punishment. However, we must be sure of the facts before anyone is executed.
We cannot ignore the fact that 10 men have already been exonerated from Oklahoma’s death row.
So, when the Oklahoma County DA and the acting state attorney general say, as they did in response to our letter to Gov. Stitt, that Glossip has already been given two trials, it doesn’t mean the system got it right. Detectives, judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and jurors can and do make mistakes. We know innocent people occasionally land on death row. We must take that risk seriously and, when we see the problem clearly, right the wrong before it is too late.
Glossip’s case represents another threat to the death penalty in Oklahoma. If nothing else, we now have proof the investigation into this case was quick and careless and, because of the newly discovered evidence, we know Glossip may be innocent. If we kill him without further investigation, it will add an everlasting stain in addition to the recent serious crises Oklahoma has experienced in carrying out executions. We will add new fuel to the fire for those who oppose capital punishment.
We know David Prater does not want an innocent man executed. Therefore, we urge him to join our plea and cooperate in this critical investigation. We have too many questions surrounding this case to be at peace with this execution.
We cannot march blindly to the execution chamber and ignore these glaring issues simply because the judicial process concluded. We must be certain about his guilt before we execute Richard Glossip. Otherwise, we risk permanent damage to Oklahoma’s reputation."
Republican state legislators Reps. Kevin McDugle represents Broken Arrow; Justin Humphrey represents Lane, and Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens is from Tahlequah.
The entire commentary can be read at:
- https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opinion/2021/07/18/opinion-we-must-certain-his-guilt-before-we-execute/7904893002/
- PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;-----------------------------------------------------------------FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."Lawyer Radha Natarajan:Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;—————————————————————————————————FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
