Tonight, we the people of the State of Florida, executed Eddie James, just after 8:00 p.m. The execution was delayed after a sudden schedule change was announced without explanation less than 24 hours ago.
Eddie James’ crimes took place while he was in an alcohol and drug fueled haze. Unsurprisingly, Eddie’s childhood was marked by physical abuse, abandonment, and neglect at the hands of his biological father, who introduced him to PCP, marijuana, and alcohol at the tender age of 11. Eddie was so impaired that he doesn’t remember the horrific acts he committed. Yet, immediately after his arrest nearly 30 years ago, he took responsibility, pled guilty to those crimes, waiving his right to a jury trial on his guilt, and asked for a life without parole sentence. The state insisted on their pound of flesh and secured a non-unanimous jury recommendation for death.
For the next three decades, Eddie did the best he could with his broken brain and ongoing physical and mental health struggles to become a productive and loving person behind prison walls. As his long time pen pal shared:
“He is a quiet, thoughtful person who cares for nature and the environment, and reads books about American Indian folklore and history. He begins almost every letter and card with the phrase ‘peace be upon your home my friend’ and closes with the ‘desire that Creation blesses my family and my home’. He speaks kindly about my family and those things which are important to me.”
It is not possible to separate the whole person from their actions on a single day. Yes, we executed the man who pled guilty for tragically taking the lives of Betty Dick and Toni Neuner. We grieve for them and understand their families’ pain. But we also executed a father, a son, a friend, and a man who was no longer a danger to anyone.
Ironically, the State fought to ensure this execution went forward exactly as planned. Just last week, they fervently argued to the Court: “The people of Florida, as well as the surviving victims, deserve better than the excessive delays that now typically occur in capital cases.”
Neither the Governor’s Office nor the Department of Corrections has responded to press inquiries about the reason for the rescheduling of the execution. It was not related to legal filings, as pleadings are routinely pending the day of a scheduled execution. Indeed, all of Eddie’s legal challenges were denied before noon today.
We do know that Governor DeSantis was in Washington, D.C. with President Trump at 4:00 p.m. today for the signing of an Executive Order dismantling the Department of Education.
While people may disagree on whether or not the death penalty is an appropriate punishment, there should be no dispute that the process, especially when carrying out an execution, should be met with solemnity and dignity, and not whimsically moved around to accommodate political schedules and photo ops.
The death penalty should never be wielded as a political weapon.
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FADP is a Florida-based, state-wide organization of individuals and groups working together to end the death penalty in Florida. Our network includes dozens of state and local groups and thousands of individual Floridians, including murder victims’ family members and other survivors of violent crime, law enforcement professionals, families of the incarcerated, and death row exonerees.
Click here to download the statement.