A Florida man on Death Row for raping an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother — and then killing them both — is asking the US Supreme Court to halt his Thursday execution.
Edward James, 63, pleaded guilty to the rapes and murders of Betty Dick, 58, and Toni Neuner, 8, in Seminole County in 1993. At the time, he was renting a room in Dick’s home, according to court records.
James raped Toni before fatally strangling her. At some point during the act, he also threw the child across the room, causing internal injuries.
He then raped Dick and repeatedly stabbed her in the back with a butcher’s knife, according to court records. In total, he stabbed Dick more than 20 times with two different knives, including one with a blue handle that police found in her hair when they arrived at the scene.
Both murders were witnessed by Toni’s older sister Wendi, who James eventually tied up and locked in the bathroom. Toni’s two younger brothers were asleep in the house at the time, according to court records.
James is set to face execution by lethal injection Thursday after serving just over three decades on Death Row at Florida State Prison. The Florida Supreme Court and federal appeals courts have denied requests to delay the execution but refused to.
In their appeals to the courts, James’ lawyers have cited a steep “cognitive decline” in their client and argued that putting him to death in his current state could be counted as a form of cruel and unusual punishment.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed James’ death warrant Feb. 1.
If the nation’s top court denies the prisoner’s final appeal, his execution will mark the second in Florida this year. On Valentine’s Day, James Dennis Ford was executed by lethal injection for the 1997 murder of a couple in the presence of their toddler.
In April, Michael Tanzi is set to face death for the kidnapping and murder of a Miami woman in 2000.