Oklahoma City – A panel in Oklahoma has decisively turned down a clemency request for a man found guilty of the horrific murder of a 10-year-old girl, setting the stage for him to potentially become the 25th and final individual executed in the United States this year.
On Friday, three members of Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board unanimously voted against clemency for Kevin Ray Underwood, who is currently scheduled to receive a lethal injection on his 45th birthday, which falls on Thursday. Meanwhile, another execution is set to take place in Indiana on Wednesday; Joseph Corcoran is poised to be executed for the 1997 murders of four men, marking the state’s first execution in 15 years.
Underwood was convicted in connection with the 2006 murder of Jamie Rose Bolin, a 10-year-old girl who lived in the same apartment complex in Purcell. He lured her into his home, where he inflicted severe injuries to her head using a cutting board and ultimately suffocated her. In a chilling confession that was presented to the board, Underwood revealed that the murder was part of a cannibalistic fantasy, indicating that he had even considered beheading her in his bathtub before abandoning the idea.
During his video statement to the board from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Underwood offered an apology to the family of the victim and reflected on the person he was prior to the crime. “I can’t believe I did those things. The person I was in the weeks leading up to that event is not who I am now,” he stated.
His defense team argued that Underwood’s history of severe mental health issues and a troubled past should warrant a reprieve from execution. They highlighted his diagnoses, which include autism and various psychiatric disorders. His mother, Connie Underwood, pleaded for the board to show her son mercy, expressing her sorrow for the pain experienced by the victim’s family.
Despite the emotional appeals, Assistant Attorney General Aspen Layman argued against clemency, branding Underwood’s act as “one of the most notorious and depraved murders in Oklahoma history.” She emphasized that Underwood deliberately chose Bolin, perceiving her as an easy target due to her small stature.
Furthermore, family members of Jamie Rose Bolin also spoke before the board, advocating for the denial of Underwood’s clemency request. In a particularly emotional moment, Jamie’s father, Curtis Bolin, struggled to articulate his thoughts as he became overwhelmed with grief, saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
Underwood’s execution is poised to occur via a three-drug lethal injection on Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. This execution would mark the fourth in Oklahoma this year and, if carried out as scheduled, would contribute to a total of 25 executions nationwide in 2023.