Execution of Robert Van Hook
The execution of Robert Van Hook occurred on July 18, 2018, at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio. Van Hook was executed via lethal injection for the 1985 murder of 25-year-old David Self. His case achieved notoriety because of his failed gay panic defense. Ultimately, his conviction was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and Governor John Kasich of Ohio rejected his bids for clemency.
Robert Van Hook | |
|---|---|
Van Hook in a 2006 prison photograph | |
| Born | Robert J. Van Hook January 14, 1960 Sharonville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 2018 (aged 58) Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Motive | Homophobia, robbery |
| Conviction(s) | Aggravated murder Aggravated robbery |
| Criminal penalty | Death (July 30, 1985) |
| Details | |
| Victims | David Lyman Self, 25 |
| Date | February 18, 1985 |
The execution garnered new attention and significance in December 2020, when Governor Mike DeWine announced that the state of Ohio would no longer execute death row inmates via lethal injection. Since the execution of Van Hook, there has been an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment in the state, as a result of the unavailability of the drugs needed to carry out lethal injection. DeWine indicated no executions would be carried out until the Ohio General Assembly approves a new method of execution. As a result, Van Hook remains the last person executed in Ohio by lethal injection. If no new alternative execution method is found, he will also remain the last person executed in the state of Ohio.