Richard Glossip, a former Oklahoma death row inmate, walked free Thursday after nearly three decades in prison as he awaits retrial in a 1997 murder case. The Supreme Court had stayed his execution nine times before ordering a new trial.

Glossip was convicted in 1998 of arranging his employer Barry Van Treese's murder. Independent investigations found withheld evidence and faulty testimony from the state's star witness. Judge Natalie Mai set his bond at $500,000 with electronic monitoring and travel restrictions.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond had sought to throw out Glossip's conviction and pledged not to pursue the death penalty again. The case drew support from celebrities and Oklahoma lawmakers, with Glossip's lawyer calling the release a step forward in escaping a "decades-long nightmare."