Death Penalty News

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who is running for governor, told Glossip’s lawyer that the timing of his release hinged “on his own political calculus.” It was almost 10 a.m. and the eighth-floor courtroom in downtown Oklahoma City was nearly empty, save for a few onlookers and reporters. A Thursday morning hearing had been scheduled in the case of Richard Glossip, but he wasn’t there — neither were his attorneys nor the attorneys for the state. Minutes later, the gaggle of lawyers emerged from a door leading to the judge’s chambers, and Don Knight, Glossip’s longtime lead attorney, approached Glossip’s wife Lea in the front row of the gallery to deliver some news: Judge Heather Coyle had just recused herself from Glossip’s case. There was no explanation why.

Mass murderer Dylann Roof’s effort to remove the federal judge who presided over his trial from future steps in his appeal has been rejected. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals said Aug. 13 it would not force the recusal of U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in Charleston. Roof is seeking a new trial 10 years after he murdered nine African American parishioners at the historic Emanuel AME Church. Roof’s appeal is based on his attorney’s admission that he made several mistakes during the trial, including eliciting harmful testimony.