U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas denied a final appeal for a 63-year-old death row inmate in Florida convicted of raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl before also killing the child’s grandmother. The brief order declined to present the case of Edward T. James to the full court, sealing his fate.
“The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied,” the order stated. “The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.”
A writ of certiorari is a legal request for a higher court to review a lower court’s decision. This was James’ last effort to delay his execution, which was scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Florida State Prison in Bradford County. His execution would mark the second carried out in the state this year.
James was convicted for the 1993 rape and murder of 8-year-old Toni Neuner and the killing of 58-year-old Betty Dick. He pleaded guilty to charges including murder, kidnapping, and child abuse. A jury subsequently voted 11-1 in favor of sentencing him to death for both murders.
His legal team argued for a stay of execution pending the Supreme Court’s decision in an upcoming case, Rivers v. Guerrero, set for oral arguments later this month. They claimed the case involved similar legal issues that could have affected James’ appeal. The case centers on procedural technicalities concerning repeated habeas petitions by appellants.
On the night of September 19, 1993, Toni and her three siblings were staying at their grandmother’s home, where James rented a room. Toni’s 9-year-old sister later told authorities that she was awakened by the sound of their grandmother screaming, “Stop, Eddie, stop, Eddie.” She went to the bedroom and saw James attacking her grandmother.
She recalled hearing him tell Betty, “If you’re not dead in the count of three, I’m going to stab some more.” When Betty showed signs of life, James resumed his attack.
Authorities later discovered Toni’s body in James’ room. She was found nude, lying on her back between the mattress and the wall, partially covered with a pillow. Her underwear had been stuffed in her mouth. A medical examiner determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled, likely with a ligature.
A month after the crime, James confessed in a recorded police interview. He said he had returned home that evening feeling frustrated, angry, and under the influence of crack cocaine and other drugs. He admitted to the murder, describing in detail how he strangled the young girl, recalling hearing her bones “popping and cracking.”
James’ execution proceeded as scheduled after the Supreme Court’s rejection of his final appeal. His case was marked by the brutality of his crimes and his own admission of guilt. With the court’s refusal to intervene, his sentence was carried out in accordance with the jury’s decision.
