Oklahoma man dies by lethal injection in the nation's final execution of 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY: An Oklahoma man who killed a 10-year-old girl in a cannibalistic fantasy died by lethal injection Thursday in the nation’s 25th and final execution of the year. Strapped to a gurney inside the death chamber, Underwood apologized to Jamie’s family and to his own family “for all the terrible things I did.” “The decision to execute me on my birthday and six days before Christmas was a needlessly cruel thing to do to my family,” Underwood said, “but I’m very sorry for what I did and I wish I could take it back.” Underwood looked over to members of his legal team and his family, including his mother, as the execution began at 10:04 a.m. His breathing hitched slightly and his eyes closed a few minutes later. Jamie’s sister, Lori Pate, who was among several relatives who witnessed the execution, thanked prosecutors for helping guide her family through the nearly 18-year process from Jamie’s death to Underwood’s execution. In a last-minute request seeking a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court, Underwood’s attorneys argued that he deserved a hearing before all five members of the board and that the panel violated state law and Underwood’s rights by rescheduling the hearing at the last minute after two members of the board resigned.