Oklahoma is gearing up for the nation's 25th and final execution of the year, as Kevin Ray Underwood is set to be executed on Thursday, his 45th birthday, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Underwood, a former grocery store worker, was convicted of the heinous murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006, as part of a disturbing cannibalistic fantasy.
Underwood confessed to luring Jamie into his apartment, where he brutally beat her with a cutting board, suffocated her, and sexually assaulted her. He admitted to contemplating decapitating the young girl in his bathtub before ultimately abandoning his plans to consume her.
Oklahoma employs a three-drug lethal injection process for executions, starting with the sedative midazolam, followed by a paralyzing agent to halt breathing, and a final drug to stop the heart.
During a recent hearing before the state's Pardon and Parole Board, Underwood expressed remorse to the victim's family, his own family, and all present for the horrific details of his crime. Despite his apology, the board unanimously voted against recommending clemency.
Underwood's defense team argued for clemency based on his history of abuse and severe mental health issues, including autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and various deviant sexual paraphilias. Prosecutors countered that Underwood's actions were driven by deviant sexual desires and a propensity for harm and abuse.
In a last-ditch effort to halt the execution, Underwood's attorneys petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay, contending that he deserved a full hearing before the parole board and that the board's rescheduling of the hearing violated state law and Underwood's rights.
