Eddie James

American murderer and sex offender (1961–2025)

For other people named Eddie James, see Eddie James (disambiguation).

Eddie James

Born|

Edward Thomas James

(1961-08-04)August 4, 1961

Bristol, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died| March 20, 2025(2025-03-20) (aged 63)

Florida State Prison, Raiford, Florida, U.S.

Criminal status| Executed by lethal injection
Convictions| First-degree murder (x2)
Aggravated child abuse
Attempted sexual battery
Sexual battery of a minor under the age of 12 (x2)
Kidnapping
Grand theft
Grand theft auto
Criminal penalty| Death (x2)
Life imprisonment (x3)
Details
Victims| 2
Date| September 20, 1993
Country| United States
State| Florida
Weapons| Strangulation
Knife
Candlestick

Date apprehended

| October 6, 1993

Edward Thomas James (August 4, 1961 – March 20, 2025) was an American murderer and sex offender. His being featured on the national television show America's Most Wanted led to his capture and conviction for the September, 1993 murders of an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in Casselberry, Florida. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995. He sat on death row and awaited execution for nearly 30 years. He was executed by lethal injection on March 20, 2025.[1]

## Background

[edit]

James was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania on August 4, 1961.[2][3] He believed his last name was Matlack until the age of 10, when he discovered that the man raising him was his stepfather. At 11, James met and went to live with his biological father, who introduced him to drugs. Ironically, his father was a drug counselor.[4] In his mid-teens, James returned to live with his mother and moved to Casselberry in Seminole County, Florida. His life now revolved around fighting and drugs, and he claimed to have blackouts. His mother sought assistance from a mental health counselor; however, his violence and anger continued.[5]

James dropped out of high school in his junior year and joined the U.S. Army when he was 17. He was stationed in Germany but was soon discharged for "failure to conform."[6] James returned to Casselberry, where he became friends with a man named Tim Dick. James was welcomed into Dick's extended family, and, in the summer of 1993, he rented a room from Dick's mother, Betty.[7][8]

## Murders

[edit]

On September 20, 1993, James returned home from a party to find Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Dick's four grandchildren sleeping in the living room.[9] He grabbed 8-year-old Toni Marie Neuner by the neck and strangled her into unconsciousness. He then took her to his bedroom and, believing she was already dead, raped her, after which he put her between his bed and the wall. She later died as a result of the strangulation.[10][11]

James proceeded to Betty Dick's bedroom, where he hit her in the head with a candlestick and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. Dick screamed, waking up Toni's sister, 9-year-old Wendi, who came to the bedroom.[12] James tied Wendi up and put her in the bathroom.[13] He then got a butcher knife from the kitchen, returned to the bedroom, and stabbed Betty in the back. After showering and taking jewelry from her bedroom, James fled in her car.[11]

## Apprehension and sentencing

[edit]

On September 28, 1993, America's Most Wanted (AMW) broadcast information related to the case, resulting in hundreds of viewer phone calls. Several tips indicated that he was traveling west. On October 5, 1993, AMW rebroadcast the details of the case, including this updated information. The next day, a viewer spotted James at the California state unemployment office in Bakersfield and contacted authorities.[10] Once in police custody, he gave two taped statements.[14]

On April 5, 1995, James pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of aggravated child abuse, attempted sexual battery, kidnapping, grand theft, and grand theft auto. He also pleaded no contest to two counts of capital sexual battery charged by separate information.[15]

On August 18, 1995, James was sentenced to death for the murders of Toni Neuner and Betty Dick, as well as sentences ranging from 15 years to life on the other charges.[16] He was incarcerated at Florida State Prison[17] in Raiford, Florida.

## Execution

[edit]

Following the execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr. on March 18, 2025, James was one of four inmates scheduled to be executed over a three-day period, from March 18 to March 20, 2025. The other two were Aaron Gunches of Arizona (executed March 19, 2025), and Wendell Grissom of Oklahoma (executed March 20, 2025).[18] James was executed on March 20 shortly after 8 pm, with his execution taking place approximately nine hours after Grissom's execution; he was pronounced dead at 8:15 pm after receiving a three-drug lethal injection. There was a two-hour delay between when James's execution was scheduled to take place and when it was ultimately carried out, although Florida officials did not explain the reason for the delay.[1][19]

## See also

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* Capital punishment in Florida
* List of people executed in Florida
* List of people executed in the United States in 2025

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Myers, Amanda Lee (March 20, 2025). "Florida executes Edward Thomas James in 2nd execution of the day in the US, 4th this week". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
2. ^ Walsh, p. 4
3. ^ "Inmate Population Information Detail - Edward T. James". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
4. ^ Walsh, pp. 4-5 "And here's the sick irony: Eddie's dad was a drug counselor. 'Eddie remembered that he made a joke out of how he was a drug counselor, and he did more drugs than the people he was counseling."
5. ^ Walsh, pp. 5-6
6. ^ Walsh, p. 6
7. ^ Walsh, p. 7
8. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 3
9. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, pp. 4-5
10. ^ a b Walsh
11. ^ a b Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 5
12. ^ Brooks, Mary (October 7, 1993). "'Most Wanted' Eddie James Jailed In California". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
13. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 5 "Appellant turned around and saw Wendi, at which point he grabbed her, tied her up, and placed her in the bathroom. Wendi asked Appellant if he was going to hurt her brothers, and Appellant told her, 'NO, I'm not going to hurt your brother, or I'm not going to hurt you. You've been through enough pain.'"
14. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 6
15. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 1
16. ^ Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 2
17. ^ Inmate Detail | Edward T. James
18. ^ "US to execute four Death Row inmates this week". France 24. March 18, 2025.
19. ^ "Florida man executed for killing eight-year-old girl and her grandmother". The Guardian. March 20, 2025. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

## Sources

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* "Edward James, Petitioner, vs. State of Florida, Respondent" (PDF). Florida State University College of Law Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
* Walsh, John; Lerman, Philip (1998). "The Demon Within". No Mercy: The Host of America's Most Wanted Hunts the Worst Criminals of Our Time--In Shattering True Crime Cases. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-01993-8. Retrieved October 11, 2008.