Edward Thomas James (born August 4, 1961) is an American murderer and sex offender. His appearance on the national television show '' America's Most Wanted'' led to his capture and

conviction In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...

for the killings of an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in September 1993.

Biography

James was born in

Bristol, Pennsylvania Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Center City Philadelphia, opposite Burlington, New Jersey on the Delaware River. It antedates Philadelphia, being settled in 1681 and first incorpora ...

. 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. In his mid-teens, James returned to live with his mother in Casselberry, Florida. His life now revolved around fighting and drugs, and he claimed to have blackouts. His mother sought assistance from a

mental health counselor A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor (counsellor in British English), is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with a ...

; however, his violence and anger continued. James dropped out of high school in his junior year and joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

when he was 17. He was stationed in Germany but was soon

discharged Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

for "failure to conform." 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.

Murders

On September 20, 1993, James returned home from a party to find Betty Dick's four grandchildren sleeping in the living room. He grabbed 8-year-old Toni Neuner by the neck and strangled her, then took her to his bedroom and raped her, after which he put her body between his bed and the wall.WalshEdward James vs. State of Florida, p. 5 James proceeded to 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. James tied Wendi up and put her in the bathroom. He got a butcher knife from the kitchen and returned to Dick's bedroom, sticking the knife in her back. After showering and taking jewelry from Dick's bedroom, James fled in her car.

Apprehension and sentencing

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. Once in police custody, he gave two taped statements. On April 5, 1995, James

plea In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a criminal case under common law using the adversarial system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response ...

ded guilty to two counts of

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, and one count each of aggravated child abuse, attempted sexual battery, kidnapping,

grand theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

and

grand theft auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily d ...

. He also pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

to two counts of capital sexual battery charged by separate information. On August 18, 1995, James was sentenced to

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

for the murders of Toni Neuner and Betty Dick, as well sentences ranging from 15 years to

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

on the other charges.Edward James vs. State of Florida, p. 2 He is incarcerated at

Union Correctional Institution The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, Raiford Prison and State Prison Farm is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford. First o ...

Raiford, Florida Raiford is a town in Union County, Florida, United States. The population was 255 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 236. It was home to the original Florida State Prison and continues to be ho ...

See all

List of death row inmates in the United States , there were 2,414 death row inmates in the United States. The number of death row inmates changes frequently with new convictions, appellate decisions overturning conviction or sentence alone, commutations, or deaths (through execution or otherw ...

Footnotes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Eddie 1961 births 1993 murders in the United States Living people People from Bristol, Pennsylvania American people convicted of murder American rapists American prisoners sentenced to death American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to death by Florida Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Florida American murderers of children People convicted of murder by Florida United States Army soldiers People from Casselberry, Florida