Eddie James

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citations missing = October 2008
cleanup = August 2008
orphan = October 2008

Infobox Criminal
subject_name = Eddie James


image_size = 200px
image_caption =
date_of_birth = Birthdateandage|1961|08|04
place_of_birth = Bristol, Pennsylvania, United States
date_of_death =
place_of_death =
alias =
motive =
charge =
conviction =First-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, attempted sexual battery, kidnapping
penalty = Death
status = Incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution, Raiford, Florida
occupation =
spouse =
parents =
children =

"For the Canadian football player of the same name see Eddie James (Canadian football)."

Eddie James (born August 4, 1961 in Bristol, Pennsylvania [Walsh, p. 4] ) is an American murderer and sex offender. His appearance on the national television show "America's Most Wanted" led to his capture and conviction for the killings of an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother.

Early life

James 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. [Walsh, pp. 4-5 "He made a joke out of how he was a drug counselor and he did more drugs than the people he was counseling," Eddie remembered.]

Eddie talked about going into business with his friend, Tim Dick, but their business fell apart after Eddie dedicated his time to doing drugs, specifically crack, angel dust, and later LSD. Not only did he do these drugs regularly, he also was a heavy alcoholic. At the time, Tim Dick was living at his mother Betty's house. During the summer of 1993, Eddie James, joined his friend, Tim Dick, in all of Tim's family festivities, including summer BBQs. Eddie was always invited by the big family. Betty Dick, the matriarch, had moved to Casselberry, FL after her husband died. Betty, always had her grandchildren bustling about. But Betty was the center of it all. She loved her grandchildren, and kept her children close.

Two of the granddaughters were particularly close, Wendi Neuner and her sister Toni Neuner. Their mother, Lisa Neuner, was always able to count on Grandma Betty to help with the kids. Betty didn't mind. She had an open heart and a generous spirit, but perhaps too open, for she graciously accepted Eddie as part of the family.

Eddie was a sort of uncle to the kids, and especially to Toni. Eddie had a great sense of humor and always knew how to make the kids laugh. He was a clown and he loved to be the center of attention.

At this point, Eddie had taken to petty crime. He had a litany of assaults. He was charged for theft and shot a man, but this crime was later determined to be an act of self defense. To Betty and her clan, he was family. Tim Dick eventually moved next door to live with his girlfriend, which meant there was a room empty, and when Betty discovered Eddie didn't have a place to live, he was taken in.

On September 19, 1993, Eddie was out of work and he focused his energies on taking drugs. He became intoxicated at his friend's birthday party, and then headed home around 11 P.M. Lisa Neuner's children, Toni and Wendi and her two boys were asleep in the living room. Lisa Neuner was away and Betty was watching the children.

Eddie James was angry that Lisa had left her children with Betty, thinking that Betty was being taken advantage of. He was so completely enraged that he picked up the closest of the two little girls, Toni, and strangled her until her neck bones popped. He shouted, "Die, you little bitch." Afterward, seeing he had killed her, he decided he might as well have his way with her, and preceded to take her into the bedroom and rape her. Later it was discovered that she didn't die until after she was raped. Her body was mangled and torn, her hands clutching her vagina.

Eddie, still intoxicated and enraged, went into Betty Dick's room "to get me a grown woman." He hit her with a candlestick and preceded to stab her with a kitchen knife, while she screamed, "Why, Eddie, why?" But after she was too bloody for him to have continued sexual interest, he stabbed her twenty-two times. Little 9 year old Wendi heard the screams and saw Eddie stabbing through the doorway. After Eddie had left Betty motionless and dead, he saw Wendi and came after her. He grabbed her violently and tied her up and left the scene. Wendi eventually escaped and ran over to her Uncle Tim's place and soon all the bodies were discovered.

Eddie James had hit the road, but wasn't a fugitive very long. America's Most Wanted television show documented the case and soon there were leads of him selling Grandma Betty's jewelry in pawn shops in Colorado. He was finally caught at Bakersfield, CA on October 6th, 1993, at a state employment office. This, thanks to Priscilla Valdez, who after watching America's Most Wanted, recognized him and called the hotline.

Eddie James, after being arrested, confessed in detail his crime, and was sentenced to the death penalty.

Footnotes

Bibliography

*cite book|last=Walsh|first=John|coauthors=Lerman, Philip|title=No Mercy: The Host of America's Most Wanted Hunts the Worst Criminals of Our Time--In Shattering True Crime Cases|chapter=The Demon Within|url=http://www.fugitivehunter.org/demonwithin.html |publisher=Pocket Books|date=1998|isbn=9780671019938|accessdate=2008-10-11 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5bV98NbA5 |archivedate=2008-10-11

External links

* [http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/86834/86834rep.pdf EDWARD T. JAMES vs. STATE OF FLORIDA]
* [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=fl&vol=alpha9704%5Cwk4%5Cjames_vs_st_fl_86834&invol=1 Another summary of the case from FindLaw]