OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Death row prisoner Kevin Ray Underwood was denied clemency by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board this past Friday, meaning his execution is still set for Dec. 19, this coming Thursday, for the murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006, as reported by KOCO News 5.
Despite objections from his attorneys and Rev. Don Heath, Underwood will be executed after the Oklahoma Pardon/Parole Board voted 3-0 to deny clemency, despite Underwood’s claims of mental illness, added KOCO News 5.
Underwood’s attorney, Brandan Van Winkle, claimed that mental health issues and his client’s traumatic childhood led him to commit the violent act, and asked the board to consider Underwood’s underlying circumstances, and “what he’s been through and who he could have been had he received proper care.”
Alternatively, OK Assistant Attorney General Layman opposed clemency, stating, “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,” reported KOCO.
Underwood expressed his apology to the family of Jamie Rose Bolin, said KOCO News, stating, “I would like to apologize to the victim’s family, to my own family, and to everyone in that room today who had to hear the horrible details of what I did.”
Underwood also acknowledged his actions, stating, “I recognize that although I do not want to die, I recognize that I deserve to for what I did.”
Underwood’s clemency hearing has been delayed twice already as a result of questions regarding Underwood’s mental health.
After the decision, Rev. Heath, the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) chair, released a statement, noting, “The Bolin family shared their continuing pain. Underwood’s attorneys and psychologist showed that the violence was a result of Underwood’s own isolation and emotional trauma. The vote to deny clemency will only perpetuate and add to the senseless violence.”
KOCO News 5 added Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed on social media that he agreed with the board’s decision “to deny clemency for this deeply evil monster.”
