Florida Inmate Executed for 1993 Slayings of Girl and Grandmother
A Florida man who murdered an eight-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993, following heavy alcohol and drug consumption, was executed on Thursday.
Edward James Executed by Lethal Injection
Edward James, 63, was declared deceased at 8:15 p.m. after receiving a lethal three-drug injection at Florida State Prison outside Starke. The execution, authorized by a death warrant signed in February by Governor Ron DeSantis, marks the second in Florida this year, with a third scheduled for April.
US Executions This Week
This week has seen multiple executions across the United States. Louisiana carried out an execution using nitrogen gas for the first time on Tuesday, ending a 15-year hiatus on capital punishment. Arizona administered a lethal injection on Wednesday to a man convicted of kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Oklahoma is scheduled to conduct another lethal injection on Thursday.
Details of the 1993 Murders
James received the death penalty for the September 19, 1993, slayings of eight-year-old Toni Neuner and Betty Dick, 58, the child’s grandmother. At the time of the crime, James was renting a room in Dick’s Casselberry residence, where Toni Neuner and three other children were also present.
James’ Intoxication and the Crime Scene
Legal documents indicate James consumed up to 24 beers at a party, along with gin and LSD, before returning to Dick’s house. Toni Neuner was raped and strangled. The other children present were unharmed.
Confession, Conviction, and Arrest
James, who admitted guilt to the charges, was also convicted of rape and theft, including stealing Dick’s jewelry and vehicle after inflicting 21 stab wounds. Court records show James drove the stolen car across the country, selling jewelry items, before his arrest on October 6 in Bakersfield, California.
Appeals and Legal Challenges
Despite his guilty pleas, James was sentenced to death based on an 11-1 jury recommendation. His legal team launched several appeals in state and federal courts, all of which were unsuccessful.
Supreme Court Rejects Mental Decline Argument
Most recently, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the argument that James’s long history of substance abuse, multiple head injuries, and a 2023 heart attack resulted in cognitive decline, rendering his execution a cruel and unusual punishment. The court upheld a lower court’s decision, stating that “James’s cognitive issues do not shield him from execution.” The court also dismissed claims that the heart attack and subsequent oxygen deprivation constituted new evidence to halt the execution, determining it would not likely alter the sentence.
Florida’s Lethal Injection Protocol
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization, Florida employs a three-drug cocktail for lethal injections, consisting of a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug to induce cardiac arrest.
Further Executions in Florida
Earlier this year, James Ford was executed for the 1997 murders of a couple in Charlotte County – a crime witnessed by their toddler daughter, who survived. Governor DeSantis has also issued a death warrant for the April 8 execution of Michael Tanzi for the 2000 murder of a woman in the Florida Keys.