Oklahoma grants reprieve hours before execution

An Oklahoma appellate court granted a two-week stay of execution for Richard Glossip just hours before he was scheduled to die within hours, meaning that a man whose lawyers say is innocent has at least a temporary reprieve, reported CNN.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals issued the order about three hours before Glossip's scheduled afternoon execution for the 1977 death of motel owner Barry Van Treese.

Only months ago, Glossip's challenge to lethal injection was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The move came amid concerns, expressed by Glossip's supporters and attorneys, about his trial and the way the state planned to execute him. The appellate court said it needed time to consider several motions that Glossip's attorneys made less than 24 hours before the scheduled execution, including one asking for an evidentiary hearing.

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