Oklahoma on Thursday sexually assaulted and killed a 10-year-old girl as part of a sick cannibalistic fantasy, even as her defense team tried to blame the horrific act on autism and mental health issues. The man who admitted to having committed the crime was executed.
Kevin Ray Underwood, who turned 45 on the day he was executed by lethal injection, was executed in 2006 and will be the last legal execution in the United States in 2024. crime CBS News reported that he played against a young Jamie Rose Bolin.
Underwood, who was pronounced dead shortly after 10 a.m. local time at the Oklahoma State Prison in McAlester, confessed to luring Jamie to his home and then beating, choking and sexually assaulting her.
“He told investigators that he nearly decapitated the girl in the bathtub before abandoning his plan to eat her,” the newspaper reported.
meanwhile, trialA jury “immediately” found Underwood guilty, and a judge then sentenced him to death, according to the local ABC affiliate.
The inmate's attorney said he had autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a variety of other mental health issues.
a petition A group organized by Death Penalty Action to stop executions said: “The state-sanctioned murder of someone like Kevin, a mentally ill person on the autism spectrum, is irreversible and the most important thing we can do. It takes us further away from what we want: a fair, effective and just society.” It's a rehabilitative justice system. ”
Despite the lawyers' arguments and petition gathering nearly 6,000 signatures, members of the Pardons Committee rejected their plea last week.
“Whatever mental aberrations led Underwood to abduct, beat, suffocate, sexually abuse, and almost decapitate Jamie… We cannot leave him at our feet,” prosecutors wrote in their opposition to the murderer's request for clemency. By CBS.
“Underwood is dangerous because he is smart, organized, and driven by deviant sexual desires rooted in harm and abuse of others,” the prosecutor added.
Underwood apologized to Jamie's family in a statement to the parole board.
“I want to apologize to the victim's family, my own family, and everyone in that room today who had to hear the horrific details of what I did,” he said.
Jamie's sister, Lori Pate, expressed gratitude after the execution was completed, but said: “Jamie is not coming back.”
On behalf of Jamie's family, we sincerely thank the Attorney General's Office and the prosecutors, investigators, and everyone involved for their hard work and determination in not only holding those responsible accountable, but also providing support in a variety of ways. I would like to express my thoughts. A sense of closure for grieving families. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Greg Mashburn, who has been with us since the beginning. This won't bring Jamie back, but it will free up some mental space to focus on her and allow the healing process to begin.
There are 33 pieces rest Oklahoma death row inmates, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
