Here’s a rewritten version of the article, expanded to exceed 600 words and formatted using Markdown:

Florida Inmate Edward Thomas James Faces Execution Amid Competency Concerns

Edward Thomas James, a 63-year-old Florida death row inmate, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on Thursday, marking him as the potential fourth person executed in the United States this week and the tenth this year. His impending execution stems from the brutal 1993 murders of Elizabeth "Betty" Dick, 58, and her 8-year-old granddaughter, Toni Neuner, a crime involving unspeakable violence.

The timing of James’s scheduled death follows closely on the heels of other recent executions. Wendell Arden Grissom is set to be executed in Oklahoma approximately seven hours prior for a home-invasion murder. Just days before, Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman via nitrogen gas on Tuesday, and Arizona carried out the lethal injection of Aaron Gunches on Wednesday.

If James’s execution proceeds as planned, he will become the second person executed in Florida in 2024 and the tenth nationwide. The heinous nature of his crimes is frequently emphasized. "This defendant deserves no more mercy than that he showed his two victims," trial prosecutor Tom Hastings told jurors in 1995, a sentiment echoing the profound grief and outrage that followed the murders.

While James has previously expressed a desire for execution, acknowledging his guilt and accepting the death penalty as a fitting punishment, his legal team has recently mounted a vigorous defense in an attempt to spare his life. Their arguments center on James’s alleged cognitive decline, raising questions about his competency to be executed.

The events that led to James’s conviction unfolded on the night of September 20, 1993. Betty Dick was at her home in Casselberry, a suburb of Orlando, with four of her grandchildren, ranging in age from 2 to 10. James, who had been renting a room in Dick’s home for approximately six months and was acquainted with the family, committed the unthinkable.

Reports indicate that James was intoxicated, under the influence of crack cocaine, and possibly LSD when he attacked Toni Neuner, who was sleeping at the time. He strangled and raped her, leaving her body behind his bed. According to his own account to detectives, he then targeted Betty Dick. He admitted to bludgeoning her, attempting to rape her, and ultimately stabbing her 23 times. He fled the state, taking Dick’s purse, jewelry, and car, triggering an intensive 17-day manhunt.

James’s capture occurred after his appearance on the television program "America’s Most Wanted." He was apprehended in California and subsequently confessed to the crimes. His remorse, at times, seemed genuine. "I don’t want to die, but I do believe it’s the proper penalty for what I committed," he stated in court in 2003. "From now until the time they execute me, I’m just going to exist, come as close to peace with what I did… I feel in my heart that I’m doing the right thing."

Betty Dick’s children conveyed to the Orlando Sentinel the depth of their betrayal, emphasizing that their mother had offered James shelter out of kindness. No one in the family suspected him of being capable of such brutality. They described Dick as a loving grandmother, always concerned for others. Her other grandchildren struggled to comprehend the events that transpired. Toni Neuner, remembered as an outgoing and vibrant girl, was particularly close to her older sister, Wendi, who was present in the home on the night of the murders and attempted to intervene before James restrained her.

Wendi, according to her aunt, Brenda Teed, carries significant emotional scars from the experience. "She’s got a lot of anger inside of her," Teed told the newspaper. "It’s unbelievable what she watched happen. She thinks if she could have gotten up sooner, she could’ve saved them." The family struggled to explain the tragedy to Dick’s younger grandchildren, resorting to comforting tales of "Grandma and Toni are in heaven."

Teed expressed her profound anger and disbelief, struggling to reconcile the events with her faith. "I’m angry as hell. I’m having a hard time believing in God," she said. "We have to live with the images the rest of our lives of what he did to them."

James’s scheduled execution is set for just after 6 p.m. ET at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, located approximately 40 miles west of Jacksonville.

The primary focus of James’s current legal challenge revolves around his mental competency. His attorneys argue that he has experienced a significant cognitive decline in recent years, impairing his memory, comprehension, and ability to engage in coherent conversation. They claim he no longer remembers the homicides or the circumstances surrounding them.

Psychologist Yenys Castillo, who evaluated James, noted, "However, he desired to be punished and even executed throughout the years. It is unclear whether Mr. James truly appreciated the seriousness and finality of being sentenced to die during his initial penalty phase and postconviction proceedings, and these competency concerns persist into the present day."

In a recent legal filing, James’s attorneys asserted that he pleaded guilty to the murders "despite a glaring lack of memory of the crimes." They further contend that he suffers from "a nearly lifelong history of substance abuse, clear signs of mental illness, and memory impairment including indicators of early-onset dementia." They argue that executing someone in his condition constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, violating his constitutional rights.

Despite these arguments, all courts that have reviewed the case have rejected his attorneys’ claims. As of now, few legal avenues remain open to prevent James’s execution from proceeding. The debate surrounding his competency underscores the complex ethical and legal considerations involved in capital punishment, particularly when the condemned individual’s mental state is called into question. The focus on early onset dementia and his lack of memory makes a case for further evaluation.