A man in Florida who killed a woman and her 8-year-old granddaughter. He committed the crime on a night when he was drunk and used drugs heavily. The man named Edward James was executed on Thursday evening.
Prison officials claimed that Edward James, 63, was declared dead at 8:15 PM after he received a three-drug injection at the Florida State Prison near Starke. James drew the death penalty after he pleaded guilty to the killings of Toni Neuner on Sept. 19, 1993, and her grandmother, Betty Dick, 58.
Edward James did not wish to give a final statement as he waited for the injection. Afterwards, as the drugs were administered, Edward James started breathing heavily. His arms flinched, and soon he was still. Jared Pearson, Neuner’s brother, stated afterwards that the family was able to get some peace with the incident.
“But we lost generations because of him,” Pearson said. “It’s all pure evil. That night was horrific.”
Explain to me why it has taken 32 years to kill this Motherfucker 🤬https://t.co/9X8JAICX2U
— Trish (@TrishFL1) March 20, 2025
The US witnessed three other executions as well this week, including the lethal injection on Thursday of an Oklahoma man for the terrifying shooting of a woman during a home invasion. On Wednesday Arizona also executed a man by an injection and Louisiana on the other hand used Nitrogen gas for the first time, putting a man to death. The execution in Louisiana stated the end of a 15-year-old pause on executions.
The US Supreme Court had denied the final appeals made by James earlier in the day, which cleared the way for the state’s second execution in a year. James’ death warrant was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year and another death warrant in early April.
Edward James was living in a rented room in Dick’s house in Casselberry, which is about 10 miles north of Orlando. It is the same place where Neuner and 3 other kids were staying the night of the attack. Court details have revealed that James drank almost 24 beers at a party, also had some gin and took LSD before getting back to his room at Dick’s house. The little girl was raped and strangled to death. However, the other children weren’t harmed.
James pleaded guilty to the heinous crimes and was convicted for the r— of the girl and stealing Dick’s car and jewelry after stabbing her 21 times. The court details also show that James drove the stolen car across the country, as he sold the jewelry pieces occasionally until he was arrested on Oct, 6 in Bakersfield, California.
Police have managed to obtain a videotaped confession from Edward James, who was sentenced to death over an 11-1 recommendation by a jury despite his guilty pleas.
James’ lawyers had even filed several lawsuits with state and federal courts, all of which were denied by the court. Recently, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the argument about James’ longtime use of alcohol and drugs, several head injuries and a heart attack in 2023. These factors led to a decline in his mental health which made his execution cruel and unusual.
A Florida man who killed an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993 is set to be executed today. Details: https://t.co/Rlt1qltazE pic.twitter.com/m5TJj0SgfL
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 20, 2025
The justice however agreed with a lower court decision that “James’s cognitive issues do not shield him from execution.” The court even rejected the argument from James’ lawyers that the heart attack he got in prison led to deprivation of oxygen affecting his brain. As per James’ lawyers, these factors should have been considered before planning to execute him.
The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center claimed, “Florida uses a three-drug cocktail for its lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart. Earlier this year, James Ford was executed for the 1997 killings of a couple in Charlotte County — witnessed by their toddler daughter, who survived.”
Florida officials stated that they are now preparing for the execution of Michael Tanzi for the 2000 slaying of a woman in the Florida Keys which is scheduled for April 8.
