A 63-year-old man named Edward James was executed on Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke for the murders of 8-year-old Toni Neuner and her grandmother, Betty Dick, in 1993. James, who had been heavily drinking and using drugs on the night of the killings, received a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.
Before his execution, James did not provide a final statement. As the drugs were administered, he exhibited heavy breathing and flinching before becoming still. Neuner’s brother, Jared Pearson, expressed a sense of closure for the family, although he acknowledged the generational loss caused by James’ actions.
This execution marked the second in Florida this year, with three others carried out across the US in the same week. The lethal injection earlier in the week included an execution in Oklahoma and Arizona, while Louisiana utilized nitrogen gas for the first time in 15 years.
Despite several appeals and arguments about his mental decline, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the decision to proceed with James’ execution. James had admitted to raping and killing Neuner and stealing from Dick before fleeing the scene and eventually being arrested in California.
The court rejected claims related to James’ cognitive issues and physical health, affirming that his execution was not shielded by these considerations. Florida’s lethal injection protocol involves a three-drug combination.
In summary, Edward James was executed for the brutal murders he committed in 1993, bringing a sense of closure to the victims’ family while highlighting the ongoing debate on the use of the death penalty.
Recently, James Ford was put to death for the 1997 murders of a couple in Charlotte County. Their young daughter, who witnessed the tragic event, miraculously survived. Florida authorities disclosed that they are now gearing up for the upcoming execution of Michael Tanzi on April 8. Tanzi is convicted of the 2000 killing of a woman in the Florida Keys.
