Oklahoma is set to carry out the execution of Kevin Ray Underwood on Thursday, marking the 25th and final execution in the US this year. Underwood, who turns 45 on the day of his scheduled execution, was convicted for the 2006 murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin, part of a disturbing cannibalistic fantasy. Despite expressing remorse to Jamie's family during a recent parole hearing, his clemency plea was denied by the state's Pardon and Parole Board.
Underwood confessed to luring Jamie to his apartment, where he murdered her and attempted to carry out further gruesome acts. The state plans to use a three-drug lethal injection for his execution, beginning with midazolam, followed by drugs that induce paralysis and cardiac arrest. Underwood's attorneys argued his sentence should account for his history of abuse and multiple mental health disorders, including autism and PTSD.
Prosecutors, however, dismissed such claims, arguing that Underwood's danger stems from his intelligence and organizational skills, paired with his deviant desires. A last-ditch appeal to the US Supreme Court seeks to halt the execution on procedural grounds, after a parole board meeting was rescheduled following the resignation of two members. Nonetheless, Underwood is scheduled for execution at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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