Condemned Ohio Man Blames Killing On 'Homosexual Panic'

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Attorneys for a condemned killer are asking that their client be spared, saying he experienced a "homosexual panic" of self-revulsion before killing a man he picked up at an Ohio bar.

The Ohio Parole Board is scheduled to hear arguments on Thursday for and against death row inmate Robert Van Hook's clemency request.
Van Hook was sentenced to die for fatally strangling and stabbing David Self in Cincinnati in 1985. Van Hook's execution is set for July 18.

Prosecutors dismiss Van Hook's claim as nonsense, saying he made a practice of luring gay men to apartments to rob them.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office also notes Van Hook has an extensive history of violence while incarcerated, including stabbing a fellow death row inmate in November.

The board will make its decision known June 1.

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