Another Dead Man Walking - Sky News Radio Podcast Series

Friday 21 August 2015

Sky News Radio, which supplies national and international news to the UK's commercial radio network, is launching a five-part podcast series about a man on death row in the US state of Oklahoma. The series is called 'Another Dead Man Walking.' The first of which is available from today.

For eight months Sky News has been following the case of an American death row inmate, and his fight to avoid execution. Richard Glossip is due to be put to death by lethal injection on September the 16th.

Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition asking for him to be given clemency. The actress Susan Sarandon says he is "clearly innocent". But the authorities in Oklahoma have repeatedly said that the execution will proceed.

Richard Glossip has always denied arranging or paying for the murder of his boss. He was convicted because the man who carried out the murder testified against him in return for a lighter sentence.

To raise awareness of the death penalty, and of his case in particular, Richard Glossip has invited Sky News Senior Correspondent Ian Woods to be an official witness at his execution.

Over the next five weeks Ian will tell the story through a series of podcasts. The first episode describes Richard Glossip's conviction, and how he came to establish a relationship with a British reporter.

Ian Woods, Special Correspondent, Sky News, commented: “In the podcasts, I explain how I stumbled across the case while researching the death penalty in the United States, and how Glossip was so happy that someone was taking such an interest that he invited me to witness his death. At that time Richard Glossip's case had attracted little attention, even in Oklahoma.”

Over the past eight months, Glossip was given a temporary reprieve 24 hours before he was due to be executed; his case has been heard at the US Supreme Court, and in an exclusive interview with Sky News, the actress Susan Sarandon has spoken out in support of a man she says is "clearly innocent".

Dave Terris, Executive Producer, Sky News Radio, said: “This series of podcasts is another example of Sky News' commitment to multi-platform coverage. Ian Woods has been following the story of Richard Glossip for several months and has gathered a wealth of audio content to reflect the controversial nature of the story and the issues that have arisen throughout. The case is gathering momentum as we approach the day of execution in Oklahoma and Ian's personal involvement is crucial given he's been invited to witness the event. It makes for a compelling series”.

ENDS

For further information contact:

Jim Cockin

Jim.Cockin@sky.uk

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