The state of Oklahoma will execute a man Thursday morning who raped, murdered and dismembered a 10-year-old Purcell girl in 2006.
Kevin Underwood, 42, was sentenced to death in 2008 for the brutal murder of his neighbor Jamie Bolin. Underwood was convicted after inviting Bolin to his apartment, where he molested, beat, suffocated and attempted to decapitate her.
Related: Timeline of Kevin Underwood's murder case and clemency hearing for the 2006 killing of Jamie Bolin
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously last Friday to deny Underwood a clemency petition.
At his clemency hearing, Underwood said, “Although I don't want to die, I know I deserve to die for what I did.”
Related: Pardon and Parole Board denies clemency to death row inmate Kevin Underwood
Bolin's murder shocked the Purcell community in 2006. After Bolin was reported missing, an Amber Alert was issued and investigators later found her body in Underwood's closet.
Bolin's sister, Lori Pate, spoke directly to Underwood at last week's hearing.
“We watched as the police entered his apartment and closed the door. We watched as they came out and escorted him to a police car. He turned around, looked over his left shoulder and grinned at us. A grin that said she wasn't coming home and he knew why,” Pate said.
Related: “Single-handedly changed our family forever:” Emotions were high at Underwood's clemency hearing
“Not only did you take her life, you ruined ours too. You, Kevin Underwood, have single-handedly changed our family forever,” Pate added.
Underwood confessed to the murder, revealing to investigators a disturbing conspiracy that included both murder and cannibalism.
His lawyers argued for clemency, claiming he suffered from mental illness and undiagnosed autism. However, the attorney general's office called Underwood a “calculated and remorseless murderer” who deserves no mercy.
Underwood's execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.
