Fla. Man Who Raped and Killed 8-Year-Old Girl and Then Murdered Her Grandmother Asks SCOTUS to Halt His Execution

A Florida man who was convicted of raping and killing an 8-year-old girl before murdering her grandmother is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution.

Edward James, the 63-year-old convicted killer, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, March 20, at 6 p.m. at the Florida State Prison after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant last month.

James was convicted of raping and murdering 8-year-old Toni Neuner and then killing her grandmother Betty Dick, 58, in 1993.

WUSF and The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that James’ attorney Dawn Macready has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put his execution on hold and reexamine the death sentence.

James’ attorney cited his alleged “cognitive decline” in a recent filing and said his execution would violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, according to WUSF.

The outlet reports that James’ previous appeals to the Florida Supreme Court and a federal appeals court were denied.

“The issues present in the instant case require appellate review that is not truncated by the exigencies of an imminent execution,” Macready, the attorney, reportedly wrote in the request to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to WUSF.

James pleaded guilty to murdering Neuner and Dick in 1993. He also pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse and kidnapping, according to WUSF.

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The outlet reported that James was renting a room in Dick’s home at the time of the murders. James raped Neuner and threw her body across a room before strangling her to death, according to WUSF. He then stabbed Dick more than 20 times, killing her in a nearby room.

The outlet reports that James’ execution would make him the second person to be executed by the state of Florida this year after James Dennis Ford was put to death last month after he was convicted of a 1997 double homicide.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.