Missing and Murdered Children

Jamie Rose Bolin was just 10-years-old in April 2006 when Kevin Underwood took her life.

She was reported missing after not returning home from school. Underwood lived downstairs from the Bolin family. He lured Jamie into his apartment with his pet rat and then played out part of the fantasies that had been fueled by his interest in cannibalism, heavy use of internet pornography and his various mental illnesses.¹

He had been planning to choose ’someone’ and admitted to standing in the doorway of his apartment contemplating which child would be the easiest to subdue.

Underwood’s trial was held last week with the jury finding him guilty of first-degree murder in less than 30 minutes. Underwood’s attorney conceded his client was guilty of the grizzly crime and really did not do much during the trial phase. However, he believed his client’s life should be spared based on his difficult childhood history and his long list of mental illnesses so he focused on the Penalty Phase of the trial.

Several witnesses took the witness stand for both the prosecution and the defense. Because the prosecution is seeking the death penalty they have the burden of proving Underwood’s act was not only particularly heinous, they also have to prove Underwood still poses a threat to society.

After 8 1/2 hours of deliberation on Friday March 7, 2008, the jury recommended death for Kevin Underwood.²

The jury had three options; life with parole, life without parole, and death.

During deliberation, they had requested Underwood’s confession tape and a gruesome photo of his victim. They also asked Judge Candace Blalock the meaning of life in prison without parole.³

I am thinking the jurors were pretty scared the Underwood might get out of prison even with a life without parole sentence.

Formal sentencing is scheduled for April 3, 2008.

I suppose now the appeals process will begin with the attorneys trying to prove Underwood is too mentally ill to be executed because he won’t understand why he is being executed.

I am sure Jamie didn’t understand why her neighbor was executing her.

References:

1. ’Disturbing Evidence,’ KSBI-TV, February 27, 2008. [↩]
2. Sean Murphy, “Jury Recommends Death in Okla. Slaying,” Associated Press, March 7, 2008. [↩]
3. Susie Williams-Allen, “Breaking News March 7: Jury decides death for Underwood“, The Purcell Register, March 7, 2008. [↩]

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