Stop the Execution of Eddie James

 

When I took this job, I made a commitment that we would tell the truth about Florida’s death penalty. This includes the truth about the people we are executing. Here is the truth about the execution of Eddie James: While on death row in January of 2023, Eddie James suffered a near-fatal heart attack. He was found in his cell blue and unresponsive. They shocked his heart three separate times and had to give chest compressions so fierce they cracked his ribs. He was without a pulse for at least twenty minutes and doctors determined that his brain was deprived of oxygen for nearly half an hour. Setting aside the cruel irony of bringing a man back to life just so that the state can kill him, his lawyers fought for two years to obtain the medical records that would show the extent of the damage to his brain. They finally received those records on February 14th. His warrant was signed just four days later. It is clear that Eddie suffered serious and significant injury, exacerbating his prior symptoms, which included memory loss, signs of dementia, and seizures, all of which were compounded by the decades of substance abuse prior to his death sentence. Instead of granting a stay for his lawyers to prove how this brand new evidence impacts Eddie’s pending execution, the trial court today completely denied him an opportunity to present this evidence. I always implore death penalty proponents to reframe the question: It is not whether Eddie James deserves to die, it is whether we the people of the State of Florida deserve to kill him. The state wants you to believe that you need to be scared of Eddie now for the tragic murders he committed 30 years ago. But really we should all be more frightened by what the state is doing today in an effort to execute him. Eddie’s case now moves on to the Florida Supreme Court, and as always we will keep you updated on the progress. In the meantime, please sign and share our petition urging Governor DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to stop this execution. However, because it is always worth remembering that even in our darkest times we can still find the light, I want to share with you that today, the United States Supreme Court granted a new trial to Oklahoma’s Richard Glossip, who has been scheduled for execution nine times. We congratulate our friends in Oklahoma and hope this decision brings Mr. Glossip one step closer to justice. We recognize that the fight for abolition is a war - and along the way we will win some battles and we will lose some battles. But through it all, we stay steady in the fight for human dignity and look forward to one day reaching abolition. Stay with us. Onward, Maria DeLiberato FADP Executive Director P.S. Florida’s killing machine is ramping up again. Your support is needed more than ever. Please make a contribution today. Every dollar makes a difference.

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty P.O. Box 82943 Tampa, FL 33682 Copyright © 2024 Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)