Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/558bv.pdf
Page Number: 166.0

Cite as: 558 U. S. 4 (2009) 

5 

Per Curiam 

tence  under  the correct  standard,  we  grant the  petition  and 
reverse. 

I 

On February  18, 1985,  Van Hook went  to a  Cincinnati bar 
that  catered  to  homosexual  men,  hoping  to  ﬁnd  someone  to 
rob.  He approached David Self, and after the two spent sev­
eral  hours  drinking  together  they  left  for  Self ’s  apartment. 
There  Van  Hook  “lured  Self  into  a  vulnerable  position”  and 
attacked  him,  ﬁrst  strangling  him  until  he  was  unconscious, 
then killing him with a kitchen knife and mutilating his body. 
State v.  Van Hook, 39 Ohio St. 3d 256, 256–257, 530 N. E. 2d 
883, 884  (1988) (statement of  the case).  Before  ﬂeeing with 
Self ’s  valuables,  Van  Hook  attempted  to  cover  his  tracks, 
stufﬁng the knife and other items into the body and smearing 
ﬁngerprints  he  had  left  behind.  Six  weeks  later,  police 
found him in Florida, where he confessed. 

Van  Hook  was  indicted  in  Ohio  for  aggravated  murder, 
with  one  capital  speciﬁcation,  and  aggravated  robbery.  He 
waived his right to a jury trial, and a three-judge panel found 
him guilty of both charges and the capital speciﬁcation.  At 
the  sentencing  hearing,  the  defense  called  eight  mitigation 
witnesses,  and  Van  Hook  himself  gave  an  unsworn  state­
ment.  After  weighing  the  aggravating  and  mitigating  cir­
cumstances, the trial court imposed the death penalty.  The 
Ohio  courts  afﬁrmed  on  direct  appeal,  id.,  at  265,  530  N.  E. 
2d, at 892; State v.  Van Hook, No. C–85–0565, 1987 WL 11202 
(Ohio  App.,  May  13,  1987)  (per curiam),  and  we  denied  cer­
tiorari,  Van  Hook  v.  Ohio,  489  U. S.  1100  (1989).  Van  Hook 
also sought state postconviction relief, which the Ohio courts 
denied.  State  v.  Van  Hook,  No.  C–910505,  1992  WL  308350 
(Ohio  App.,  Oct.  21,  1992)  (per  curiam),  appeal  denied,  66 
Ohio  St.  3d  1440,  608  N.  E.  2d  1085,  rehearing  denied,  66 
Ohio St. 3d 1470, 611 N. E. 2d 328 (1993); State v.  Van Hook, 
70 Ohio St. 3d 1216, 639 N. E. 2d 1199 (1994). 

Van  Hook  ﬁled  this  federal  habeas  petition  in  1995.  The 
District  Court  denied  relief  on  all  17  of  his  claims.  Van