A death row prisoner has admitted he “deserves to die” after the horrific acts he committed against a little girl.
The cannibalistic murderer from Oklahoma made this statement as he appeared in court to make a final plea for clemency against the death sentence.
Kevin Ray Underwood, 44, appeared Friday before the Pardon and Parole Board, which voted unanimously against a pardon.
Underwood has been awaiting death for nearly a decade after being convicted of the gruesome murder of his 10-year-old neighbor, Jamie Rose Bolin.
The sick killer lured the child to his home, where he hit her over the head with a cutting board before suffocating her.
Inmate says he 'deserves to die' after his crimes (KOCO 5 News)
He was described as “deeply evil” for his crimes, which included almost decapitating the little girl in his bathtub.
The crime was allegedly part of a horrific cannibalistic and sexual fantasy. In the end, he didn't eat the young girl, but confessed that he tried to have sex with her body.
“I realize that even if I don’t want to die, I deserve it for what I did,” he said, according to local reports.
“And if my death…could change what I did, I would gladly die.”
He apologized to both Jamie's and his own family: “I can't believe I did these things.”
He stressed: “The person I was in the weeks leading up to this event is no longer who I am now.”
He was described as “deeply evil” (KOCO 5 News)
Attorney General Gentner Drummond called him “a deeply evil monster” and praised the decision to withhold his clemency.
He said: “Jamie Rose Bolin will get justice.”
Underwood's representatives said he should be spared because he suffers from a long list of mental health problems.
The deputy attorney general said his mental health could not be used as an excuse: “Mr. Underwood chose Jamie because he thought she was small, defenseless and easy prey.
“And while we as an enlightened society can extend grace to people struggling with mental illness, we can still expect them to refrain from plotting the murder, rape, torture and cannibalism of 10-year-old little girls.”
He is now killed by a lethal injection with three drugs.
It will be the 25th and final event this year.
Journalist Michelle Lyons, who witnessed nearly 300 executions at the Texas State Penitentiary, Huntsville Unit, has written a book titled “Death Row: The Final Minutes: My Life as an Execution Witness in America's Most Notorious Prison” This explains exactly what happens in the final moments of a death row prisoner's life.
“On the day of an execution, the prisoner has four hours to meet with his family and friends in the morning. Once these visits are completed, they are loaded into a transport van and taken out of the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, where all of Texas' men's death row are located [are housed]“Lyons writes.
In the “death chamber,” prisoners are subjected to a body search before being given new clothes and having their fingerprints taken.
“The inmate is then given tea, coffee and a large plate of cookies, while he is also allowed to call anyone in the continental United States before his death. “They usually meet with a clergyman who talks to them about their spiritual beliefs,” she adds.
In their final moments, they are escorted into the execution chamber by guards who then handcuff them to the stretcher, and there is a microphone directly above their head for them to speak into so they can make their final statement if necessary.
