COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lawyers for a condemned Ohio killer are criticizing Gov. John Kasich's decision to deny clemency ahead of the inmate's July 18 scheduled execution.
Attorneys for death row prisoner Robert Van Hook say they're disappointed the governor didn't give more weight to the inmate's military service and childhood physical and sexual abuse.
The lawyers say Van Hook couldn't get proper Veterans Affairs treatment for his mental health and addiction issues after he was honorably discharged.
The Republican governor on Friday followed the June 1 recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board to deny mercy.
Van Hook was sentenced to die for stabbing and strangling David Self in Cincinnati in 1985. Prosecutors say Van Hook made a practice of luring gay men to apartments to rob them.
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