Kevin Ray Underwood, executed for the brutal murder of a 10-year-old girl, apologized to the victim’s family while denouncing the cruelty of his execution date.
Kevin Ray Underwood, a 45-year-old cannibal man convicted of the grisly 2006 murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday. The execution, which fell on Underwood’s birthday, marked the nation’s 25th and final execution of the year, as well as Oklahoma’s fourth.
Underwood’s crime, driven by a disturbing cannibal fantasy, sent shockwaves across the country. Strapped to a gurney in the death chamber of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Underwood apologized in his final moments.
“I’m very sorry for what I did, and I wish I could take it back,” he said, addressing Jamie’s family and his own. He also condemned the timing of his execution. “The decision to execute me on my birthday and six days before Christmas was a needlessly cruel thing to do to my family.”
A grim legacy
Underwood, a former grocery store worker, admitted to luring Jamie Rose Bolin into his apartment in 2006, where he beat her with a cutting board, suffocated her, and sexually assaulted her. He confessed to investigators that he had planned to eat parts of her body but abandoned those plans after attempting to behead her in his bathtub.
The murder and its grotesque details captivated national attention, casting Underwood as one of the most chilling figures in recent criminal history.
Final moments
Underwood’s execution began at 10:04 a.m. Using Oklahoma’s three-drug lethal injection process, he was administered a sedative, followed by a drug to paralyze his body, and finally, a drug to stop his heart. His breathing slowed, and his eyes closed within minutes. A doctor pronounced him unconscious at 10:09 a.m., and Underwood was declared dead at 10:14 a.m.
As he lay on the gurney, Underwood exchanged glances with his mother and members of his legal team, who were present in the chamber. Jamie’s family, including her sister Lori Pate, also witnessed the execution.
“This doesn’t bring our Jamie back, but it does allow the space in our hearts to focus on her and allow the healing process to begin,” Pate said, expressing gratitude to prosecutors for their efforts over the nearly 18-year legal process.
Underwood’s attorneys sought clemency on the grounds of his history of abuse and severe mental health issues, which included autism, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizotypal personality disorder, among others. However, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board rejected their plea, voting unanimously against sparing his life.
Prosecutors countered that while Underwood suffered from mental illnesses, many individuals with similar conditions do not commit such heinous acts, particularly against children.
In a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Underwood’s legal team argued that his rights were violated when a clemency hearing was rescheduled following the resignation of two board members. The appeal was denied, clearing the path for the execution to proceed.
Closing a dark chapter
Underwood’s execution draws a final line under one of Oklahoma’s most disturbing cases involving a cannibal killer. For Jamie Rose Bolin’s family, it provides a measure of closure.
However, the case also reignites debates over the death penalty and its intersection with mental health issues, abuse, and criminal justice. For those affected by Jamie’s death, Underwood’s last words may linger as a chilling reminder of a crime that left an indelible mark on the nation’s collective memory.
