Killer out of prison after 31 years
With his wife at his side, the man convicted of murdering a Clifton Springs woman in 1977 walked off the grounds of the medium-security Groveland Correctional Facility Tuesday morning a free man.
Wearing sports togs and a leather jacket, James W. Edwards, 50, said he was anxious to "form a life" outside prison walls. "I'm so glad I'm on this side," he told reporter Brett Davidsen from the Daily Messenger's news partner WHEC-NBC (Channel 10).
Edwards' case was profiled in a two-part series called "When is justice served?" that ran in the Messenger on Sunday and Monday. Through his case, the series examined the philosophical divide between victims of violent crime, many of whom say justice is never truly served, and the perpetrators of those crimes who want to start anew after their court sentences end.
A jury found Edwards guilty 31 years ago of killing 57-year-old Audrey Jones by shooting her several times while she was on a nature walk just outside Clifton Springs. Mrs. Jones was a grandmother and former art teacher and social worker who was well-respected in the community. Edwards was 19 at the time of the killing; he did not know Mrs. Jones and no motive was offered by police at the time, other than it being a random act committed while he was rabbit hunting. His defense attorney had dwelled on the fact that Edwards had smoked marijuana and taken LSD in the days leading up the murder.
Mrs. Jones' loved ones - including her son, Fred, who lives in Seneca County, and her nephew, James Cross, who lives in Ontario County - lobbied the Board of Parole to keep Edwards locked up for good. The board had, in fact, denied his release three times since he became eligible for release in 2001.
Fred Jones said last week, "New York state is about to release a totally worthless, and likely dangerous, monster. New York state should have exterminated James Edwards, not release him."
The first stop for Edwards, after his wife, Donna, picked him up from the prison Tuesday, was to be an office for the state Division of Parole in Rochester. Parolees have 24 hours after their release to check in with their supervising officer to learn the conditions of their release and set up regular meetings.
One condition of Edwards' release is that he won't be able to travel outside his home county, Monroe.
Asked what prison has done to him and for him, Edwards told Davidsen, "It's actually made me the person I am today. You know, I am not a young, stupid kid anymore. I'm adult. I'm mature. I know what love is about. I know what life is about now. I never knew that before."
Going forward, Edwards said his aim is to stay a free man, and be a good husband and father to his daughter. He also said he hopes to eventually find work as a counselor, working with troubled kids.
Donna Edwards was emotional, holding her husband close as he spoke of his plans. She married him four years ago, though she has known him for more than 20 years, having befriended him through her former coworker, whose husband was a cellmate of Edwards.
"There are going to be a lot of adjustment," Donna Edwards told the 10NBC reporter, "but we look forward to the changes and staying positive, and we believe we're truly blessed."
As for Mrs. Jones' family, Edwards said he understands their contempt for him.
"I would not feel any different than they do if the roles were reversed," he said. "I just hope and pray they understand that I was very, very immature when this crime was committed and that I would want to get on with my life, and I hope they would be OK with that."
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Jessica Pierce can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 250, or at jpierce@mpnewspapers.com.