Kevin Ray Underwood (born December 19, 1979) is a convicted murderer from

Purcell, Oklahoma Purcell is a city in and the county seat of McClain County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,651. Founded in 1887, Purcell was a railroad town named after Edward B. Purcell, who was an official with th ...

Crimes

Authorities had sought a missing 10-year-old girl, Jamie Rose Bolin, for whom an

Amber Alert An Amber Alert (alternatively styled AMBER alert) or a child abduction emergency alert ( SAME code: CAE) is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. The system originated i ...

had been issued. Underwood, who lived near Bolin in the same apartment complex, was arrested on April 17, 2006. Underwood admitted to

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

agents and Oklahoma detectives that he had murdered and attempted to

decapitate Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

Bolin, telling them, "Go ahead and arrest me. She is in there. I chopped her up." After Underwood's confession, Bolin's corpse, stashed in a large plastic container, was recovered from his bedroom closet. Purcell Police Chief David Tompkins stated that Bolin's murder was the culmination of Underwood's fantasy to "kidnap a person, rape them, torture them, kill them, cut off their head, drain the body of blood, rape the corpse, eat the corpse then dispose of the organs and bones." Underwood was convicted of having bludgeoned Bolin to death with a wooden

cutting board A cutting board (or chopping board) is a durable board on which to place material for cutting. The kitchen cutting board is commonly used in preparing food; other types exist for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic. Kitchen cutting b ...

. Police stated that they found

meat tenderizer A meat tenderizer, or meat pounder is a hand-powered tool used to tenderize slabs of meat in the preparation for cooking. Although a meat tenderizer can be made out of virtually any object, there are three types manufactured specifically for ...

and barbecue

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roastin ...

s at the scene, which they presume were intended for use on the victim's corpse.

Trial

On February 29, 2008, a jury found him guilty of

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

. A jury recommended the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

on March 7, 2008. On April 3, 2008, McClain County District Judge Candace Blalock approved the recommended death sentence. Underwood attempted to appeal his sentence because it would be an unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment due to his mental illness (he was initially diagnosed with

schizotypal personality disorder Schizotypal personality disorder (STPD or SPD), also known as schizotypal disorder, is a mental and behavioral disorder. DSM classification describes the disorder specifically as a personality disorder characterized by thought disorder, parano ...

at his trial but was later diagnosed with

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

). An Oklahoma City federal judge rejected the appeal.

Scheduled execution

On July 1, 2022, Underwood was one of twenty-five death row inmates to be scheduled for execution in Oklahoma. He was scheduled to be executed on December 7, 2023. His execution was later postponed due to a request by attorney general

Gentner Drummond Gentner Frederick Drummond (born October 3, 1963) is an American attorney, rancher, banker, and politician from Oklahoma. Drummond is a member of the Republican Party and the current Attorney General of Oklahoma. He flew in the Gulf War air cam ...

, who asked for sixty days between executions rather than thirty "to alleviate the burden on DOC personnel." He is currently awaiting a new execution date.

References

External links

Continuing coverage on the case from ''The Oklahoman''

Wabnitz, Melissa A. - "Purcell girl found dead at neighbor’s apartment: Investigators have identified and arrested a man they believe is responsible for the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin." ''Norman Transcript'' April 14, 2006

Transcript of taped confession
1979 births 2006 murders in the United States Living people People from Purcell, Oklahoma American people convicted of murder American murderers of children American cannibals American prisoners sentenced to death Prisoners sentenced to death by Oklahoma People convicted of murder by Oklahoma People with Asperger syndrome {{Oklahoma-stub

Crimes

Trial

Scheduled execution

See also

References

External links