James H. Snook

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James Howard Snook

James H. Snook in 1929.
Born James Howard Snook
September 17, 1879(1879-09-17)
West Lebanon, Ohio, USA
Died February 28, 1930 (aged 50)
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Burial place Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio
Nationality Flag of the United States American
Occupation Professor
Spouse Helen M. Snook

James Howard Snook was an Ohio athlete and physician convicted and executed for an infamous sexual crime he committed.

Snook was a member of the U.S. Olympic Pistol Team, which medaled at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Later, he was the head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University. He invented the snook hook, a surgical instrument which is still used in spaying animals.

He was convicted of murdering Theora Hix, a 29-year-old medical student with whom he had had a three-year sexual affair. Snook claimed at his Columbus, Ohio, trial that he killed Hix because she was threatening to kill Snook's wife and family, and that he feared she would shoot him. The trial was considered shocking for the sexual activities discussed, including fellatio. The jury took 28 minutes to deliberate and sentenced Snook to death by electrocution. He was put to death on February 28, 1930 at the Ohio Penitentiary.

He was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery after a short service at the King Avenue Methodist Church. His tombstone on Lot 243 of Section 87 omits his last name reading only "James Howard."

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