Gov. Mary Fallin has granted a last-minute stay for an Oklahoma inmate who was set to be executed Wednesday afternoon.
Fallin's stay for Richard Glossip came about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Glossip's request to halt his execution. In her order, Fallin granted a 37-day stay for Glossip, saying the state needed to determine whether its use of a new drug — potassium acetate — was in compliance.
Fallin reset Glossip's execution for Nov. 6.
Glossip has maintained his innocence in the 1997 beating death of an Oklahoma City motel owner.Governor Fallin issued the following statement for halting the execution of Richard Glossip:
Governor Mary Fallin has issued a 37 day stay of Richard Glossip’s execution to address legal questions raised today about Oklahoma’s execution protocols. The stay will give the Department of Corrections and its attorneys the opportunity to determine whether potassium acetate is compliant with the state’s court-approved execution procedures.
“Last minute questions were raised today about Oklahoma’s execution protocol and the chemicals used for lethal injection,” said Fallin. “After consulting with the attorney general and the Department of Corrections, I have issued a 37 day stay of execution while the state addresses those questions and ensures it is complying fully with the protocols approved by federal courts.”
The new execution date will be Friday, November 6.
“My sincerest sympathies go out to the Van Treese family, who has waited so long to see justice done,” said Fallin.