Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Parole Board Recommends Governor Should Not Spare Life Of Cincinnati Killer

Robert Van Hook was convicted of the murder of David Self in Cincinnati in 1985.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
Robert Van Hook was convicted of the murder of David Self in Cincinnati in 1985.

The Ohio Parole Board has voted 8-1 to recommendthat Gov. John Kasich deny clemency to a Cincinnati killer who’s set to be executed on July 18.

58 year old Robert Van Hook was convicted of stabbing David Self to death after picking him up in a Cincinnati bar in 1985. Van Hook’s public defenders say he has confessed, accepted responsibility and expressed remorse. But they said execution isn’t appropriate because of the severe emotional and physical abuse he suffered as a child, which they said Van Hook’s first defense team didn’t fully explore. One member of the parole board agreed, and suggested his mental illness and military service should be taken into consideration. But prosecutors say the murder was one of the most brutal and bizarre ever in Hamilton County. And they say Van Hook’s behavior suggests he’s not remorseful, noting his long history of violence behind bars, including stabbing a fellow death row inmate last year.

Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.