A Florida man who pleaded guilty to killing his landlord and her 8-year-old granddaughter in 1993 has been executed.
Edward James, 63, was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m. Thursday at Florida State Prison after receiving the lethal injection.
The death row inmate declined to give a final statement before the drugs were administered. He reportedly breathed heavily and flinched his arms before all movement stopped.
On the night of Sept. 19, 1993, James returned to the room he rented at Betty Dick’s house after drinking 24 beers and consuming drugs.
He raped the woman’s 8-year-old granddaughter, Toni Neuner, before strangling her to death and stealing Dicks’ jewelry, and stabbing her 21 times.
The suspect took off in the 58-year-old victim’s car selling her pieces of jewelry across the country before he was arrested on October 6 in California.
“We lost generations because of him. It’s all pure evil. That night was horrific,” Neuner’s brother Jared Pearson said.
