Edward James, the man convicted for the 1993 murders of an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in Seminole County, was executed by lethal injection last night, confirmed prison officials. The execution took place at the Florida State Prison near Starke, marking the second instance this year the state has carried out the capital punishment. As reported by WFTV, James' time of death was noted at 8:15 p.m.

Brenda Teed, the daughter of victim Betty Dick, expressed the long-held torment James' actions had imposed on her family, stating, "We've been dealing with this for over 31 years." This comment was made outside the prison shortly after the execution. "It has hit us in places that you can't imagine," Teed further shared in an interview detailed by WESH. James was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of the young Toni Neuner and her grandmother after renting a room in their Casselberry home.

The Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court both denied attempts to stay the execution, despite claims brought forward by James' attorney about his cognitive decline due to drug and alcohol abuse, a series of head injuries, and a near-fatal heart attack suffered in 2023. The courts upheld that "James’s cognitive issues do not shield him from execution," thus aligning with the legal opinion that his execution did not violate the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.