Transcription
[Music] It's December 18th, 2024, in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. A guard approaches one of the 200 cells in death row and finds a prisoner inside, sitting on the edge of his bed. It's 10:00 a.m. Kevin Ray Underwood has 24 hours left to live.
Not every state in the US allows or uses the death penalty. The ones that do have different execution protocols, but generally speaking, the timeline of events is similar with slight differences in the details. These protocols can take months of preparation, also that the day of execution is well, perfectly executed. This is what happens in the last 24 hours on death row.
Kevin Ray Underwood is a death row inmate at Oklahoma State Penitentiary. 34 days ago, he was strip-searched and x-rayed for any tools with which he could hurt himself, and then relocated from the prison's A unit to its H unit. The execution protocol typically begins like this: relocating a prisoner from his usual cell to another location with an execution chamber. Among prison guards, they call it the Death House. In most states, the relocation happens around 24 hours before the execution, and not all prisons have execution chambers. If this is the case, the prisoner gets taken to one.
This is the most vulnerable moment of the execution protocol. Some prisons send decoy transports through different routes to prevent an ambush, although it has never happened. When they reach their destination, the inmate steps out of the vehicle. This is the last time they see sunlight and breathe fresh air. Now, the prisoner gets escorted into the Death House and is taken into a cell just a few steps away from the execution chamber. It has a bed, a shower, a toilet, and a desk. Much like a regular cell, except clean. For a prison, it's a true luxury. In Underwood's case, it is far from it. Amnesty International described the conditions at Oklahoma State Penitentiary's H unit as inhuman and degrading, comparing the cells to concrete tombs.
For his last 24 hours, Underwood is on death watch. A guard watches his every move, not to prevent him from escaping, but from harming himself. Underwood is not allowed to leave his cell, so around noon, the guards bring breakfast directly to him. It's a small meal from the prison kitchen and something to drink. Nothing special for now.
After breakfast, if they wish, inmates can receive visitations from friends, family, lawyers, and the press. Some states allow highly supervised contact visits; others let them speak to visitors through a glass partition. In Oklahoma, Underwood is only allowed no-contact visitations. On the days leading up to his execution, when visitation hours end, prisoners can only speak with the prison warden and a chaplain. For many, this time can be overwhelming and traumatic. The chaplain's job is to prepare the inmates for what's coming next. It's common for their religions to differ, but the chaplain's job is to be a prisoner's unbiased spiritual advisor. He might help them write letters, pray, or even sing with them. Mostly, he's just there to listen and to keep company. But for many inmates, it is not easy to come to terms with the fact that they will never speak to their loved ones again, that their life is already over.
The sun is down, and they have barely 12 hours left to live. The night before Underwood's execution, it's time for the infamous last meal, which he requested around a month ago. Death row inmates in the US spend on average just under 19 years in prison before their execution. This last meal is likely their first time choosing what to eat in decades. It's a symbolic gesture to acknowledge their humanity, a final taste of freedom. Movies often show prisons going above and beyond to fulfill an inmate's every request, usually a luxurious delicacy, but this is far from reality. In Texas, the last meal request was abolished after one prisoner requested a large, expensive meal and didn't eat it. Since then, death row inmates have received standard-issue prison food instead.
In most states, the last meal is given a day or two before the execution and called a special meal instead. Alcohol and tobacco are not usually on the menu, but for the meal, most state policies say prisons must make a reasonable effort to fulfill the prisoner's request. However, there are strict limits on what they can order. California gives inmates a $50 budget for their last meal; Florida gives them $40, and the food must be available locally. In Oklahoma, Underwood's last meal has a maximum budget of just $25. We were not able to confirm his specific request on time, but you can likely find it by searching for his name on Wikipedia's last meal page.
After the last meal, Underwood is allowed to sleep. The chaplain stays behind to offer his help because many inmates remain awake throughout the night, writing letters or just in silence. Tomorrow is an important day, and it is just overwhelming to think about.
On the day of execution, the guards wake Underwood up at around 4:30 a.m. He is given 15 minutes to shower and issued a new uniform. In some states, it may have a few extra buttons and maybe a different color. In most, the uniform is identical to the one before, except clean. However, every state gives the inmate an adult diaper. Death causes people to lose control of their muscles. If they are not empty, the inmate's bowels and bladder can release their contents and cause a big, stinky mess. The diaper is a precautionary measure to keep things clean and preserve the inmate's dignity in their final moments.
Now, the warden gives Underwood a summary of what's about to happen and then leaves to make sure all the preparations are in order. In the nearby execution chamber, a team of medical experts has been reviewing the execution protocol, testing equipment, and double-checking supplies throughout the night. Nothing can go wrong. Back in the cell, the chaplain is keeping Underwood company in his last few hours. Depending on a prisoner's religion, they might want to make a final confession, say some prayers, or just have a conversation. It's also an opportunity to think about or write down their last words.
With 2 hours remaining, Underwood's friends and relatives, his victim's family, lawyers, some regular citizens, and the press will arrive at the prison to witness his execution. The warden will meet them at the entrance and escort them to a witness room. In Illinois, the inmate's family can only witness the execution through a television screen, but in most states, the witness room is adjacent to the execution chamber, separated by see-through glass or a one-way mirror, in which case you can only see into the room, but not out. For now, the glass is covered by a curtain, and the warden asks the witnesses to remain in complete silence, especially if the inmate and victim's families are in the same room. Fights can break out.
With 1 hour until the execution, the warden walks back to Underwood's cell and tells him exactly what the next steps are. Once he signals to the guards, they handcuff Underwood and lead him out of the cell. Like most death row inmates, Underwood does not give the guards any trouble during the short walk to the execution chamber. He walks right in, and the door shuts behind him. There is no going back now.
Executions should be as painless as possible for the prisoner. Among the legal methods of execution in the US, hanging is the most painful, followed by gassing, electrocution, shooting, and lethal injection. Lethal injection became the default execution method in the US in the early '80s. Electrocution was common before that. Today, some states allow prisoners to choose their execution method with some restrictions. In Utah, inmates who were sentenced before 2004 can choose to be executed by a firing squad if the drugs for lethal injection are not available. Tennessee has a similar policy for electrocution. Alabama used nitrogen hypoxia gas for two executions in 2024. Underwood will be executed by lethal injection.
There are multiple people inside the execution chamber when Underwood enters, but the first thing he notices is the stretcher in the middle, known as a gurney. It is imposing in such a tiny room. There is also an electrocardiogram, a telephone on the wall, and a curtain separating the execution chamber from the witness room. Underwood lies down on the gurney, and a tie-down team straps his arms, legs, and torso tightly. The nurses also hook him up to the electrocardiogram, which monitors his heartbeat. To prepare for the lethal injection, an IV team looks for two veins in each of his arms. If Underwood is under high amounts of stress, his veins can hide, making the process longer, more painful, or even impossible, but this is extremely rare.
Once the IV team finds the veins, they rub alcohol or iodine on the injection spot and insert two intravenous tubes. One of these is meant to deliver Underwood's final dose; the other is there in case the first one malfunctions. The tubes lead to a small opening in the execution room's wall, opposite an observation room. An executioner is on the other side to test the tubes. The IV team pumps a harmless solution into Underwood's veins. Everything checks out.
With 15 minutes until his execution, Underwood is staring at the phone on the wall. At any moment, the warden could receive a call from the governor's office letting him know that Underwood has been granted a stay of execution. If important new evidence about his case is found or the courts approve a last-minute appeal, the execution could be delayed. If his sentence is suddenly changed to life in prison, it could be canceled altogether. The telephone is Underwood's only hope. But for now, the nurses point him towards the curtain, and the warden pulls it up.
On the other side, the witnesses see Underwood for the first time. He can see them too. Death row prisoners have the option to make a final statement. The warden brings a microphone close to Underwood's face. He will remove it if his statement is too long, vulgar, or intentionally insulting to a witness. He can also choose to say nothing, and many death row inmates do. After his statement is over, Underwood turns his head to face the telephone again. It never rings. The warden looks up from his watch, removes his glasses, and gives a slight nod towards the observation room. The executioner recognizes the signal. It's time.
On the executioner's wall, there is a medication delivery device known as a manifold. Attached to it are three groups of large syringes that contain up to 60 mL of fluid. A typical COVID vaccine has anywhere between 1 and 5 mL. The leftmost syringe of each group contains a harmless saline solution. It's essential for flushing the drugs and the other syringes through the IV tubes and Underwood's bloodstream. Each group contains a different drug: an anesthetic, a paralyzing agent, and a toxin, one for each stage of the execution.
After the warden's signal, the executioner approaches the manifold and pushes out the contents of the green syringes and flushes them with the saline solution. These syringes contain midazolam, a powerful anesthetic commonly used before surgeries. The National Institutes of Health says that 2.5 mg of midazolam injected intravenously is enough to sedate any healthy adult under 60. Right now, around 500 mg of it is coursing through Underwood's blood. It's 200 times the recommended dose. Such a large dose of midazolam can spill over into Underwood's lungs and make him feel like he is drowning. Not exactly humane, but the dose is also so large that he's likely rendered totally unconscious before he can feel this. Midazolam makes the brain flood its neurons with chloride ions, making them unable to fire electrical signals. Within a minute or two, Underwood's brain has effectively shut down, making the next two stages of his execution technically painless.
Now, the executioner moves on to the orange syringes. They contain vecuronium bromide, a kind of muscle relaxant. According to the NIH, someone who weighs 150 lb (around 68 kilos) would be completely paralyzed for half an hour with just around 6 mg of vecuronium bromide. Underwood's dose is 100 mg. In around 90 seconds, the vecuronium bromide binds to the receptors in his muscle cells, blocking the signals that normally trigger muscle contractions. This paralyzes all his voluntary muscles, including the diaphragm, the muscle responsible for breathing. At this point, Underwood would die of asphyxiation in around 4 to 6 minutes, but instead, the executioner moves on to the final stage of the execution.
The syringes with red labels contain potassium chloride. A regular dose of around 1.5 g spaced out over an hour is an effective way to compensate for low levels of electrolytes in the blood, but at 18 g right into the bloodstream, delivered instantly, potassium chloride becomes a deadly toxin. Once this extremely high dose of potassium reaches Underwood's heart, it produces an incomprehensible amount of electrical activity. For a few moments, his heart beats irregularly, lightning fast, and then stops altogether, sending him into immediate cardiac arrest. The electrocardiogram in the execution chamber flatlines. The IV team checks for vital signs, and the warden closes the curtain to the observation room. Underwood passed away within just 30 seconds of the potassium chloride touching his blood.
The exact time of day when executions take place in the US varies, but in the H unit of Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Kevin Ray Underwood will be pronounced deceased around 10:00 a.m. on December 19th, 2024, the day of his 45th birthday. Depending on when you're watching this, it could be a few minutes from now or years ago. As of October 2nd, 2024, 1,611 prisoners have been executed since the death penalty's reinstatement, and there are 2,213 prisoners still waiting on death row. Kevin Ray Underwood was the last person to be executed in the United States in 2024. He was sentenced to death in 2008 for the first-degree murder of a 10-year-old girl. Her name was Jamie Rose Bolan.
"Are you a planner? Are you a guy who likes to plan?" "Not really." "No." "Okay." "I certainly planned this out. I mean, I've been thinking about it for at least a month. So at first, I just wanted to basically to eat someone, and then it turned into..." Underwood's trial lasted barely a few hours. Nobody doubted whether he was guilty. "And I was going to keep the body around for a couple days. I was going to..." Underwood's lawyers did not dispute his guilt, but since he was never properly treated for his multiple severe mental illnesses, they argued he should not be sentenced to death. "What did she say when you hit her?" "That's something that's, you know, haunted me ever since it happened." "What Underwood did was wrong beyond description." "She started yelling, 'I'm sorry.' When she... I'm just like, you know what? She's sorry for? She didn't do anything wrong. It's me. You. I'm the one that's should be sorry." "Perhaps you believe he no longer deserves his life?" "No. You know, I know what I did was wrong, and I know that I deserve to be punished for it. But do we as a society deserve to take it?"
[Music]
[Music]