( Columbus ) - The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction has announced a clemency hearing next week for a local man sentenced to death over 30 years ago.
Robert Van Hook (pictured) was given the death penalty for killing and robbing David Self in 1985. Investigators say Van Hook lured Self from a downtown Cincinnati bar with the promise of sex, but then killed him. Luring gay men to rob them was something Van Hook had a history of until he murdered Self.
During the appeals process, the federal court here in Cincinnati set aside Van Hook's death sentence, but upon appeal by then-Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, it was reinstated by the US Supreme Court in 2009. Cordray is currently running for Ohio Governor.
The Ohio Parole Board will hold a clemency hearing for Van Hook on Thursday, May 24.
He's scheduled to be executed by the State of Ohio this July.