David Kevin Hocker

This article was published yesterday through the Associated Press, but I just couldn't quite bring myself to post it. Its just such a sad story. A man with mental illness and a serious street drug problem reportedly killed his boss for no reason (except, perhaps, to avoid being put in the general prison population for another charge and let the government commit his suicide for him instead). I have seen my share of addicts and alcoholics. I have seen what alcoholism and mental illness can do to a person. No, not every addict, alcoholic or manic depressive kills someone. However, I think you'd be hard pressed to find one who did who would have also done it had they never been addicted or mentally ill. Perhaps I am exaggerating, perhaps there are some out there who are addicts who would have killed even without the drugs, but it would surprise me. Hocker's is a sad story for both families. He has made changes in his life since being on death row; yet he still wants to die and he's willing to let the State of Alabama kill him. It is certainly an interesting statement on the death penalty when the system is approached with an individual who may have killed his victim in a calculated manner in order to be given the death penalty and let the state kill him instead of killing himself. What does this say about our system? What does it say about our willingness to help the mentally ill? I am glad to know that Hocker's mother has found some sense of peace in her son's impending death. I hope that his victim's family can also find some peace in healing their pain.

Faced with son's execution, mother has only sad keepsakes