Kevin Underwood

Case overview

Kevin Ray Underwood (born December 19, 1979) was a convicted murderer from Purcell, Oklahoma. Authorities sought a missing 10-year-old girl, Jamie Rose Bolin, for whom an Amber Alert had been issued.

Underwood lived near Jamie Bolin in the same apartment complex. He was arrested April 17, 2006, after investigators recovered Bolin’s corpse from his bedroom closet. Purcell Police said in a press conference that Underwood had admitted to FBI agents and Oklahoma detectives that he murdered and attempted to decapitate Bolin, and that he told them: “Go ahead and arrest me. She is in there. I chopped her up.”

Underwood was convicted of having bludgeoned Bolin to death with a wooden cutting board.

Police stated that they found meat tenderizer and barbecue skewers at the scene, which they presumed were intended for use on the victim.

Timeline

• April 12, 2006 — Underwood lured Jamie Rose Bolin into his Purcell apartment, beat her over the head with a cutting board, suffocated her, sexually assaulted her, and then tried to cut off her head with a decorative dagger, according to his videotaped confession.
• April 14, 2006 — A preliminary hearing described Overby stopping a red pickup driven by Underwood’s father at about 3:45 p.m., two days after Bolin disappeared.
• April 17, 2006 — FBI agents found 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin’s body in a plastic tub in Kevin Ray Underwood’s bedroom in Purcell, Oklahoma; Underwood was arrested.
• February 29, 2008 — A jury found Underwood guilty of first degree murder after deliberating for 23 minutes.
• March 7, 2008 — A jury recommended the death penalty.
• April 3, 2008 — McClain County District Judge Candace Blalock approved the recommended death sentence.
• April 3, 2008 — McClain County District Judge Candace Blalock ordered execution by lethal injection.

The offence

Authorities described Jamie Rose Bolin as a neighbor and the target of Underwood’s attack.

Prosecutors at trial demonstrated how Underwood abducted the girl, bludgeoned her with a wooden cutting board, and strangled her with duct tape and his bare hands. They also described him as sexually assaulting the girl after killing her and planning to dismember her, drain her blood, and eat her corpse.

Underwood’s videotaped confession described a cannibalistic fantasy motive and included details of the attack. Underwood told investigators he lured the girl into his Purcell apartment, beat her over the head with a cutting board, suffocated her, sexually assaulted her, and tried to cut off her head with a decorative dagger.

The prosecution also asserted that Underwood intended to avoid prosecution by committing the offence. Court papers alleged the attack included him striking Jamie with a cutting board three to four times, then placing his hand over her mouth and nose until she died.

Jamie yelled, “I am sorry,” and “Oh God, I’m sorry,” during the attack.

Underwood told FBI agents he sexually assaulted the young girl after killing her. The autopsy report said there was evidence of sexual assault, but the medical examiner could not tell whether it occurred after death.

Investigators believed Jamie was killed shortly after she entered Underwood’s apartment.

Underwood’s confession also included allegations he tried to cut off her head and that his fantasies involved torturing, raping, killing, and eating his victim.

In the confession, Underwood said: “I wanted to know what it tasted like, and just the thought of eating someone was appealing to me.”

Underwood also said such fantasies began about the time he started taking the antidepressant Lexapro.

Police stated that Bolin’s corpse was stashed in a large plastic container and was recovered from Underwood’s bedroom closet.

Investigation

FBI agents searched Underwood’s bedroom after authorities tracked down Bolin’s location.

Investigators found Bolin’s body stuffed inside a plastic tub in Underwood’s bedroom closet. Purcell Police said Underwood admitted murder and attempted decapitation and made the statement: “Go ahead and arrest me. She is in there. I chopped her up.”

Investigators also found evidence at the scene including meat tenderizer and barbecue skewers, which police presumed were intended for use on the victim.

The preliminary hearing testimony described an autopsy finding that Jamie’s throat had been cut from ear to ear, while her nude body was otherwise intact. The autopsy report said Jamie probably died of a lack of oxygen.

Court records alleged that Underwood told investigators he hit the girl on the head with a cutting board, then smothered her with his hand and duct tape.

Investigators said Underwood told them he raped Jamie’s corpse. They also said he confessed to making a child watch porn and have sex with him, and to wanting to stick skewers through her cheeks and needles in her eyes, according to the bill of particulars. The bill states that Jamie vomited and choked during the attack.

Arrest and pre-trial events

Underwood was stopped at a checkpoint a couple days after Jamie’s disappearance. A preliminary hearing described Overby stopping a red pickup driven by Underwood’s father at about 3:45 p.m. on April 14, two days after Jamie disappeared.

Brief conversations at checkpoints and in Overby’s FBI car led Overby to question Underwood further without the father present at Purcell police headquarters.

Overby testified that Underwood confirmed reports from two of Jamie’s other neighbors that he was the last person to see her. Overby said Underwood was a person of interest, but not yet a suspect.

After a 45-minute interview, Underwood agreed to a search of his apartment. Overby testified that Underwood remained calm until moments after Overby saw a plastic storage tub sealed with duct tape in Underwood’s bedroom closet.

When Overby opened a corner of the tub, Overby saw a blue, strapless shirt. Underwood said that Jamie was wearing such a shirt when he last saw her.

Overby testified that he told Underwood: “There’s no comics in here. There is clothing.”

At that point, Underwood said: “Go ahead and arrest me,” and Overby testified that Underwood asked, “Where is she?” and replied: “I hit her and chopped her up.”

Just before leaving Apartment 115, Underwood hyperventilated and said: “I’m going to burn in hell,” as Overby testified.

After the arrest, newly released documents described Underwood confessing to Dustin Stokesberry, an inmate trusty at the McClain County jail. Underwood told the trustee that he “started to” but did not finish cutting up Jamie.

The court papers described Stokesberry as having a drug and burglary record.

Underwood did not dispute guilt in the proceedings leading to conviction. His attorneys argued for mercy and presented claims of mental illness that could be helped with medication, and also argued he had been bullied as a child and had suffered emotional and verbal abuse from his parents.

Trial

Jurors’ verdict

A jury found Underwood guilty of first degree murder on February 29, 2008, after deliberating for 23 minutes.

The quick verdict was attributed to the showing of Underwood’s videotaped confession.

Confession content presented at trial

Prosecutors played a videotaped confession in which Underwood told investigators he lured the girl into his Purcell apartment on April 12, 2006, beat her over the head with a cutting board, suffocated her, sexually assaulted her and tried to cut off her head with a decorative dagger.

The defence did not dispute that he killed the girl. His attorneys called him “a lonely, very troubled, reclusive young man” and accused prosecutors of overwhelming jurors with gruesome evidence.

Sexual assault and cannibalism claims at trial

Underwood told authorities he was fueled by sexual fantasies involving torturing, raping, killing and eating his victim, although no evidence was presented that he cannibalized the girl’s body.

Sentencing

A jury recommended the death penalty on March 7, 2008.

On April 3, 2008, McClain County District Judge Candace Blalock approved the recommended death sentence.

Underwood’s execution was ordered by the judge on April 3, 2008, by lethal injection.

The Fox News report described that Underwood, 28, showed no emotion when the judge handed down the sentence.

Appeals

Underwood’s defence attorney, Matthew Haire, planned to appeal the conviction.

Aftermath and related statements

Underwood’s attorneys said they would seek to spare his life.

Jamie's family members attended court proceedings and stated they did not blame Underwood’s family. Rose Fox said she was originally against the death penalty but changed her mind, saying: “He made his choice,” and “He’s a monster in human form.” Rose Fox also said: “I was for mercy. And then when I found out what he really did to her ... . He showed her no mercy.”

Jamie’s relatives wrote about being on medication and having nightmares because of the death. Grandmother Rose Fox wrote: “There will be too much money left at Christmas and too few presents under the tree,” Easter would have one less basket, Thanksgiving would have “too much turkey left over and not eaten,” and in August one birthday cake and party would be “unneeded.”

Jamie’s uncle Mark Chiles said: “I’ve always said it’s where he should go,” and added: “There’s evil in this world. He’s a demon and needs to go right back to where he belongs.”

Before sentencing, a Purcell police supervisor’s count indicated the courthouse contained 12 police officers, six McClain County sheriff’s deputies, and four armed district attorney’s investigators. Sheriff Don Hewett borrowed a metal detector from the University of Oklahoma for the hearing.

An incident at Underwood’s initial court appearance in April was described: a man with no connection to the case tried to rush the courtroom, yelling that Underwood was a “baby killer.”

Other details

Age and personal background mentioned in court-related coverage

Underwood was described as a shy 26-year-old grocery store clerk and as 27 during court-related coverage in June 2007, and as 28 at sentencing coverage.

Underwood was described as living alone with his pet rat. He had previously posted online statements and discussed social anxiety and medication.

Allegations and evidence discussed in pre-trial matters

Court documents described philosophical discussions of cannibalism and comments about killing people. They also described Underwood as having a Barbie doll with nails through its eyes.

Court documents described Underwood messaging a friend online two months before the killing about wanting to write a children’s book that included anal sex.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents reportedly found pictures of autopsies of women on Underwood’s computer.

Potential prosecution witnesses included Underwood’s mother and father. Larry Ray Underwood would testify to not being at his son’s apartment in more than a year, and Connie Underwood would testify about her son’s social anxiety history and that he told her he would have to “move away from Purcell” when he got out of jail.

Court documents described Underwood’s interactions as including discussions with a childhood friend about cannibalism and taking medications to control anxiety in 2005 and 2006.

Another witness summary reported that Underwood talked to a worker at a SuperCuts in Oklahoma City about cooking organs and had been nicknamed “Zombie Kevin” by co-workers at a grocery store.

Other witnesses were described as planned to testify that Underwood was “a little creepy” and was interested in serial killers, and that he made sick jokes and said, “I’m gonna snap and kill someone,” and had a weird laugh. Another witness would testify that Underwood’s video game fixation affected him negatively.

Defence position mentioned in coverage

The defence was described as contending that Underwood suffered from bipolar disorder, sexual problems, and social phobia.

Underwood’s blog statements were described as including “dangerously weird” fantasies and social phobia and therapy discussions.

The description also noted that Underwood wrote: “If you were a cannibal, what would you wear to dinner?” and answered: “The skin of last night’s main course.”

Underwood also wrote: “I’m afraid the cops would come into my apartment and see all the knives and swords and horror movies and commentaries about serial killers on my DVD rack and suspect me.”