Death row inmate facing execution for torturing and killing girl says he ‘deserves’ to die
A death row inmate has admitted he 'deserves to die' following the horrendous acts he committed against a little girl.
The cannibalistic murderer from Oklahoma made the statement while he appeared in court making a final plea for clemency against the death sentence.
Kevin Ray Underwood, 44, was appearing in front of the Pardon and Parole Board who unanimously voted against clemency on Friday.
Underwood has been awaiting death for almost a decade, following his conviction for the gruesome murder of his 10-year-old neighbor, Jamie Rose Bolin.
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The sick killer lured the child to his home, where he hit her around the head with a chopping board before suffocating her.
He has been described as 'deeply evil' for his crimes, which also saw him almost behead the little girl in his bathtub.
The crime was supposedly part of a horrifying cannibalistic and sexual fantasy. He did not end up eating the young girl, but confessed he had tried to have sex with her body.
“I recognize that although I do not want to die … I deserve to for what I did,” he said according to local reports.
“And if my death could … change what I did, I would gladly die.”
He apologised to Jamie's family as well as his own: “I can’t believe I did those things."
He insisted: “The person I was in the weeks leading up to that event is not who I am now.”
Attorney General Gentner Drummond called him 'a deeply evil monster' and praised the decision to deny his clemency.
He said: "Justice will be delivered for Jamie Rose Bolin.”
Underwood’s representatives said he should be spared due to a long list of mental health problems that he suffers from.
The assistant Attorney General said his mental health cannot be used as an excuse: “Mr. Underwood chose Jamie because he thought that she was small and defenseless and easy prey.
“And while we, as an enlightened society, can give grace to those struggling with mental illness, we can still expect them to refrain from planning the murder, rape, torture, and cannibalism of 10-year-old little girls.”
He will now be put to death by a three-drug lethal injection.
It will be the 25th and final execution of this year.
Journalist Michelle Lyons, who has witnessed almost 300 executions at Texas State Penitentiary, Huntsville Unit, has written a book titled 'Death Row: The Final Minutes: My life as an execution witness in America's most infamous prison' which explains exactly what goes on during the last moments of a death row inmate's life.
"On the day of an execution, the inmate is given four hours to meet with their family and friends in the morning. Then, once those visits conclude they are loaded into a van and taken from the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, which is where all of Texas death row for men [are housed]," Lyons writes.
At the 'death chamber' inmates are strip-searched before being handed new clothes and their fingerprints being taken.
"The inmate is then given tea, coffee, and a big plate of cookies, while they’re also allowed to call anyone in the continental United States before their death. They usually meet with a chaplain, who speaks to them about their spiritual beliefs," she adds.
In their final moments, they are walked to the execution chamber by guards who then tie them to the gurney, and just above their head there is a microphone for them to speak into so they can issue their final statement if they wish to.
Topics: Crime, True crime, US News, Death Row
Jen Thomas