Oklahoma executed Kevin Ray Underwood this morning at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, ending the life of the man who brutally murdered his 10-year-old neighbor, Jamie Rose Bolin, in 2006. The lethal injection was carried out at 10:14 a. m., marking the 45th birthday of the condemned inmate. Underwood was pronounced dead within minutes, capping an 18-year legal odyssey that began with a horrific crime that shocked the small town of Purcell.
The execution unfolded quietly on a chilly December morning, with witnesses including family members of the victim and media representatives standing behind the glass. Underwood was allowed a final statement before the drugs began flowing. He addressed the timing of the execution on his birthday, calling it a needlessly cruel act against his family, but also expressed deep remorse.
I am very sorry for what I did, and I wish I could take it back, he said, according to officials.
Kevin Ray Underwood was born on December 19, 1979, the same date he would die 45 years later. He grew up in Oklahoma and, by all outward appearances, led an unremarkable life. He worked at a Walmart, lived alone in a modest apartment, and maintained a blog where he posted mundane observations.
But beneath the surface, he harbored dark fantasies that would culminate in the unthinkable.
On April 12, 2006, Jamie Rose Bolin, a bright and energetic 10-year-old, walked home from a school event. Her father, Curtis Bolin, was still working his shift. Underwood, her neighbor in the same apartment complex, intercepted her with a simple lure: come see my pet rat.
She trusted him. She went inside. He turned on SpongeBob SquarePants to occupy her.
Then he killed her.
Her body was found inside a large plastic storage tub in his bedroom closet, sealed with duct tape. But the horror did not end there. When FBI agents interviewed Underwood, he confessed not only to the murder but to a detailed plan to commit cannibalism.
He wanted to know what it tasted like, he said on videotape. Investigators found evidence that the attack had been premeditated: items purchased in advance, a planned abduction.
Jamie’s father returned from work to find his daughter missing. An Amber Alert was issued. Officers canvassed the complex and quickly focused on Underwood.
He consented to a search of his apartment. When they noticed the taped tub, he claimed it held comic books. Then, in a moment of collapse, he said, Go ahead and arrest me.
She’s in there. Then I’m going to burn in hell.
His videotaped confession was voluntary and comprehensive. He described the murder in chilling detail, including his fantasies of consumption. The prosecution had an overwhelming case: physical evidence, forensic analysis, and his own words.
At trial in February 2008, the jury deliberated for only 23 minutes before returning a guilty verdict for first-degree murder.
One week later, the same jury recommended the death penalty. Judge Candace Blaylock imposed the sentence on April 3, 2008. Underwood was 28.
The legal battle then shifted to years of appeals, focusing on his mental health. He had been diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder and later with Asperger syndrome. His lawyers argued that executing someone with serious mental illness violated the Eighth Amendment.
Every court rejected the argument. An Oklahoma City federal judge dismissed it. The appeals courts affirmed the sentence.
The U. S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
Underwood remained on death row, his execution date reset multiple times as the legal machinery ground forward. During that time, he reportedly expressed genuine remorse, telling a parole board that he blocked out most memories of the crime.
In a final clemency hearing before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Underwood spoke tearfully. I recognize that I do not want to die, I recognize that I deserve to for what I did, he said. He added that if his death could undo the harm, he would gladly die.
The board voted 3-0 against clemency, clearing the way for the execution.
The night before his death, Underwood chose his last meal: chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, pinto beans, hot rolls, a cheeseburger with french fries and ketchup, and a cola from the prison canteen. He ate it, then settled into the waiting. The execution protocol began early on December 19, 2024.
Witnesses gathered in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, a facility known for its role in capital punishment. Underwood was strapped to the gurney. He was offered the chance to speak.
He said the execution on his birthday was needlessly cruel to his family, but he also apologized to the victim’s family, his own family, and everyone who had to hear the horrible details.
Then the lethal injection began. At 10:14 a. m.
, Kevin Ray Underwood was pronounced dead. The entire process took approximately 15 minutes. His body was removed for a legal autopsy, as required by state law.
Outside the prison, a small group of protesters and supporters of the victim gathered silently.
Jamie’s family released a statement through her aunt, Lori Pate. 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, she said. The words were calm, measured, after 18 years of waiting.
Curtis Bolin, Jamie’s father, did not speak publicly, but those close to him said he felt a measure of closure.
The execution drew attention from death penalty opponents who cited Underwood’s mental health history. Advocacy groups argued that the state executed a man with a serious mental disorder, a practice they called unconstitutional. But Oklahoma officials defended the procedure, noting that all courts had reviewed and upheld the sentence.
Governor Kevin Stitt declined to intervene, as he had in other cases.
Kevin Ray Underwood was the 13th person executed in Oklahoma in 2024, and the fourth in December alone. The state remains one of the most active in carrying out capital punishment, despite ongoing debates about lethal injection protocols and 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 availability. The execution was carried out without complications, officials said.
The story of Jamie Rose Bolin is one that echoes beyond the legal arguments. She was a 10-year-old girl who loved school, had boundless energy, and trusted a neighbor. She would have turned 29 in 2024.
Instead, her name remains tied to a case that tested the limits of justice, mental health, and the human capacity for violence.
Underwood’s own background adds layers of tragedy. He was diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder, characterized by eccentric behavior and distorted thinking. Later, Asperger syndrome was diagnosed, a condition that affects social interaction.
His lawyers argued that these conditions diminished his ability to control his actions, but prosecutors countered that he meticulously planned the murder.
The crime scene itself was disturbing. Along with the body, police found evidence of Underwood’s cannibalistic fantasies: kitchen knives, a meat tenderizer, and a list of supplies. He had researched methods of killing and dismemberment online.
The FBI described him as a self-aware predator who knew his desires were wrong but chose to act on them anyway.
During the years on death row, Underwood reportedly changed. He participated in mental health treatment, wrote letters expressing remorse, and even corresponded with some victims’ rights advocates. But Oklahoma’s courts found that his mental state at the time of the crime did not meet the legal threshold for insanity or diminished capacity.
The execution was scheduled for Underwood’s birthday at the request of the victim’s family, a detail that sparked debate. Some saw it as poetic justice, others as cruel. Underwood himself called it needlessly cruel in his final statement.
The state attorney general’s office noted that the date was chosen based on availability and legal timelines.
As the drugs took effect, Underwood’s breathing slowed. Witnesses described him as calm, his eyes closing. Within minutes, the medical examiner pronounced death.
The room fell silent. For Jamie’s family, that silence was the end of a long wait. For Oklahoma, it was another execution in a long line.
The case has been covered extensively by true crime media, including a detailed video transcript that described the entire timeline. That video, released on the day of the execution, walked viewers through Underwood’s life, the crime, the trial, the appeals, and the final moments. It ended with a reminder of Jamie’s humanity.
Lori Pate’s statement captured the grief that never fully heals. We will always carry Jamie with us, she said. But today, we can begin to breathe.
The family now plans to focus on her memory, volunteering for child safety programs and advocating for stronger laws against violent predators.
Kevin Ray Underwood’s body will be claimed by his family for private burial. His final words were recorded and will remain part of the public record. The state of Oklahoma considers the case closed.
But the questions it raises about mental illness, capital punishment, and the nature of evil continue to linger.
In the end, the story of Kevin Ray Underwood is one of profound darkness, but also of a community’s resilience. Purcell, a town of about 6,000 people, never forgot Jamie Rose Bolin. A park was named after her.
Her father continued to live in the same apartment complex for years, a silent monument to loss.
Today, as the execution was carried out, residents of Purcell held a memorial. They released balloons, lit candles, and shared stories of Jamie’s laughter. The execution may have ended one life, but it did not erase the memory of another.
Her aunt’s words underscore that justice is not revenge, but the space to heal.
This breaking news report covers the execution of Kevin Ray Underwood on December 19, 2024. The full details of the crime, the legal proceedings, and the final moments are now part of history. The state of Oklahoma has spoken, and the Bolin family can finally begin the next chapter.
For those who followed the case, the images remain vivid: a small girl walking home, a neighbor’s door opening, a tub sealed with tape. And now, a gurney in a chamber. The circle closed.
The clock stopped at 10:14 a. m. On his birthday, Kevin Ray Underwood died, but Jamie Rose Bolin will never be forgotten.