Death row inmate who's eaten 'three last meals' has execution stopped at the last minute

A death row inmate who's eaten 'three last meals' has had his execution stopped at the very last minute.

The US Supreme Court made the dramatic decision to halt the planned killing of the convicted criminal, Richard Glossip, yesterday (5 May).

This now brings Glossip's total number of postponed executions to a staggering four times.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections, via AP/ CNN

The 60-year-old was first sentenced to jail for the the murder-for-hire of his boss, Barry Van Treese, some 26 years back in 1997.

After over two decades behind bars, Glossip has consistently maintained that he is an innocent man and has received an incorrect conviction for crimes he never committed.

And that isn't the only reason why the murder case has remained as such a controversial matter after all these years.

During the original trial, Van Treese's killer, Justin Sneed, brought forward some very damning evidence which helped to land Glossip in jail.

Oklahoma's state Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, believes Glossip did not receive a fair trial due to this evidence.

He stated: "I believe it would be a grave injustice to execute an individual whose trial conviction was beset by a litany of errors."

And it's clear that the Supreme Court has agreed this Drummond's statement to some extent, given that they decided to pause the execution.

Upon hearing the news, Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, has breathed a sigh of relief that his client is 'out of peril' for the time being.

The attorney went on to say he was extremely appreciative of the governing body to make the rare decision of stopping the prisoner's execution.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections, via AP/ CNN

"We are very grateful to the US Supreme Court for doing the right thing in stopping Richard Glossip’s unlawful execution," he told the Daily Mirror.

Knight continued: "There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the State now admits has never received a fair trial.

"Thankfully, for the time being, Mr Glossip is out of peril. Our hope is that the Court will reverse the decision of the [Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals] and vacate Mr Glossip’s conviction once and for all."

Glossip was previously due to be killed later this month (18 May).

Before the decision was made yesterday, Knight claimed that Glossip's possible execution would set an incredibly dangerous precedent when it comes to how the justice system is carried out in America.

"The idea that state's attorney general has said that Richard Glossip did not receive a fair trial and yet the state still wants to kill ought to terrify everyone," he told the Mirror.

The attorney added: "Basically, what Oklahoma is saying is 'we don't even have to give you a fair trial to execute you'.

"As far as I am concerned, Richard Glossip is innocent... the facts of the case don't show he is guilty of murder."