Oklahoma executes man convicted of grisly murder of 10-year-old girl

Kevin Ray Underwood, a former grocery store worker from Oklahoma, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday, marking the nation’s 25th and final execution of the year. Underwood was convicted of the brutal murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006 as part of a cannibalistic fantasy.

Underwood admitted to luring Jamie into his apartment, where he beat her over the head with a cutting board, suffocated her, and sexually assaulted her. He confessed to nearly beheading her in his bathtub before ultimately abandoning his plans to consume her. His last meal consisted of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, pinto beans, a cheeseburger, fries with ketchup, and cola from the canteen.

During the execution, Underwood chose not to have a chaplain present in the room but opted for sedatives to be administered before the lethal injection. Witnesses reported that he apologized to the Bolin family and expressed his belief that it was cruel to execute him on his birthday and just before Christmas. The execution proceeded without any complications.

Underwood’s attorneys had argued for clemency due to his history of abuse and mental health issues, which included autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and various deviant sexual paraphilias. Prosecutors countered that mental illness did not justify harming children.

In a last-ditch effort to halt the execution, Underwood’s legal team sought a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming that the board violated state law and his rights by rescheduling a hearing at the last minute after two members resigned. The Supreme Court rejected this request.

Since 1915, Oklahoma has executed 206 men and three women, with 32 men and one woman currently on death row in the state. Director Steven Harpe of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections acknowledged the impact of the event on Jamie Rose Bolin’s family and emphasized the agency’s commitment to professionalism and respect throughout the process.

The execution of Kevin Ray Underwood serves as a somber reminder of the consequences of heinous crimes and the ultimate price that some perpetrators must pay for their actions.