Hocker had no Supreme Court review before execution

ATMORE, Ala. - David Kevin Hocker died by lethal injection last night for the 1998 stabbing death of his boss. The 33-year-old Hocker refused to file appeals of his conviction -- saying he was guilty and wanted to die for his crime.

Hocker was convicted and sentenced to death for the March 1998 stabbing death and robbery of 47-year-old Jerry Wayne Robinson of Columbia in Houston County.

Hocker was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m..

Bryan Stevenson, director of the Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative, says Hocker's execution was the first time someone has been put to death by the state without the Alabama Supreme Court reviewing the case.

He also says it's only the second time Alabama has executed someone without post-conviction court reviews to determine such things as whether the defendant was competent and had adequate legal representation, and whether prosecutors followed the law.