Gov. Mary Fallin will not intervene in the case of Richard Glossip, who is scheduled for execution tomorrow afternoon.
"Richard Glossip has had almost 18 years of hearings, trials, appeals. He’s had three stays on his execution. He took it all the way to the Court of Criminal Appeals," Fallin said during a day-long visit to Tulsa. "It’s the law of the state of Oklahoma; my job as the governor is just to make sure the law is carried forth."
Barring action by the U.S. Supreme Court, Glossip will be executed by lethal injection Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected a request Monday from Glossip’s attorneys for a new hearing.
They say new evidence shows the man Glossip purportedly hired to kill their boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, acted alone.
Fallin said the criminal justice system has worked as it should in Glossip’s case.
"I will say, I still believe in the death penalty, which is the current law in Oklahoma, and I still believe in justice for the victims that have suffered so much in horrible crimes like murder," Fallin said.
While she avoided speaking personally, Fallin said there is anxiety in the state over Glossip’s impending death.
"This particular case has received a lot of national press because of anti-death penalty groups, and they are truly what they are: anti-death penalty groups that do not support that," Fallin said.
Glossip’s lawyers are also challenging Oklahoma’s use of midazolam after it was discovered the Texas Department of Corrections compounded the more reliable pentobarbital and gave some to Virginia.
