Death row prisoner Richard Glossip makes desperate plea to Barack Obama before it's too late

Richard Glossip, 52, launches his final desperate plea for his life 15 days before he is scheduled to die by lethal injection. A death row inmate days from execution for a murder he insists he had no part in is begging Barack Obama for his help.

Richard Glossip, 52, launches his final desperate plea for his life 15 days before he is scheduled to die by lethal injection.

Writing from his cell in Oklahoma State Penitentiary just feet from the death chamber, the father-of-four tells the US President: “Please sir, it is time to step in before it is too late.”

More than 250,000 signatures have joined a petition backing Mr Glossip, convicted of ordering the killing of his boss Barry Van Treese on the dodgy testimony of the thug who battered him to death – despite there being no forensic evidence against him.

But as time runs out, the former hotel manager tells the President: “Sir, I truly believe and trusted that our justice system would never allow this to happen or let it get to this point, but is has – and it’s a travesty of justice. “If the state of Oklahoma is allowed to carry out this execution it will be a wrongful and unjust execution.”

He adds: “If your relative was facing this, you would do everything in your power to stop it, would you not? "I’m only asking for the same. I’m a father, brother, uncle and son. Doesn’t my family deserve the same?”

Glossip was convicted 17 years ago on the testimony of the killer, hotel handyman Justin Sneed. In a plea deal, Sneed said Glossip put him up to the killing.

In return prosecutors guaranteed him life in jail while sending Glossip to death row. Footage of the police interview with Sneed shows police appearing to encourage him to implicate Glossip to get a lighter sentence – but the jury was not shown this.

Glossip writes: “I am an innocent man... There has never been any evidence against me (physical or other).

Obama has no legal authority to stop the execution but he could put pressure on Oklahoma state governor Mary Fallin to grant a 60-day stay of execution allowing new evidence to be presented.

Glossip tells him: “If you don’t speak out or step in and stop this... my blood and death will be on your hands.”