Jonathon Edington

 

When I put names on my list of cases to research I try to put something on there with it to guide me to what kind of case it would be. For example I may put a name down and then say if it was a spousal murder I say the spouses name and sometimes I will add a state. This case was listed as “Jonathon Edington- Barry James- neighbor.” I assumed it was likely one of the cases that I had gathered on Fear Thy Neighbor and to be fair, I may have but not only was my memory not jogged when I started looking at the case, it was never jogged. To be fair I have no idea where I heard about this case for certain and I have no memory of hearing anything about it. I am a bit perturbed with myself because I think it is an important case.

On August 28, 2006 Fairfield Connecticut patent attorney, Jonathon Edington returned home from Rhode Island where he, his wife and his two daughters had been visiting family. Jonathon, for reasons that I never found, returned home alone that evening. My research stated that the Edington family had recently moved into their rented home but it was not very specific as to when that exactly occurred. It appears that either a) it had not been that long as the neighbors did not know them by name, nor did the Edington's seem to know much about them or; b) it does not appear that they were very social with their neighbors.

Soon after Jonathon got home he received a call from his wife, Christina. Christina proceeded to tell him about a conversation that she would claim to have had with their two year old daughter. Christina told Jonathon that their daughter had told her that she was scared to go home and had said that “Barry” would come into her room “on starry night” and molest her. The child did not use the word “molest” and there were a few versions of what she did say that indicated this was what she allegedly meant. Jonathon would later say that the only “Barry” he knew was their next door neighbor, fifty-nine year old Barry James, but he would also admit later that he had never so much as spoke to the man. But, believing what his wife claimed that his daughter had said Jonathon immediately hung up the phone, grabbed a six inch knife and headed to the James home.

Jonathon apparently knew enough to know which room of the home was Barry James' bedroom. That may be because it was alleged that Christina Edington had already made claims of not liking the home and claimed that she could see Barry James changing his clothes in his bedroom and it made her uncomfortable. Jonathon broke into the home through Barry James' bedroom window. He would later say that he only planned to go there to talk to him about what his wife had just told him. When later asked if that was truly his intention why he took a knife with him and why he broke into the home rather than knock on the front door Jonathon had no clear answer. Barry James lived in the home with his elderly parents and his mother, who was legally blind, would say that they apparently heard the commotion and at some point she heard her son say “I don't even know your daughter.” It also appears that Rita James may have “seen” the perpetrator and knew that it was Jonathon Edington but she claimed she did not even know his name.

Jonathon proceeded to stabbed Barry James thirteen times in the heart, chest and hand. He then left the home the same way he entered, through the window. Rita James would find her son bleeding in his room. Some reports claim that Rita called 911 while others report that it was Barry's father, Charles that made the call. Another 911 call was made by Jonathon Edington who would calmly tell the dispatcher that a man had been stabbed and that an ambulance was needed. After he was asked repeatedly who stabbed the man and did not answer, he hung up the phone. The dispatcher proceeded to call him back and while he answered, he said nothing and then hung the phone up again.

Police would first go to the James' home and Barry James was taken to the hospital where he would die about an hour later. They next went next door where they found Jonathon Edington in his kitchen. A knife was next to him and his hands and forearms were covered in blood. He was at the sink attempting to wash the blood away. Jonathon was taken into custody and would eventually be charged with first degree murder.

The following day Christina would make a police report claiming that Barry James had molested her child and an investigation was launched. In the meantime the media had already heard the story and citizens were clamoring for Jonathon's release. The overwhelming idea was that this was a man who was “protecting” his child and he had done the community a favor by taking a child molester off the street. Barry James' family adamantly denied these charges.

On October 19, 2006 the police had concluded their investigation into the molestation allegations. At that time they really only released their conclusion which was that it was believed that not only had Barry James not molested Jonathon and Christina's two year old daughter, but there was no evidence that he had ever molested anyone. They did also release however that Christina Edington had refused to cooperation with the investigation. There was never a reason given as to why she would have done this. It would be four more years before more information about that investigation would be released and for the James family, which included a sister to Barry James, this was agonizing. Still, the overwhelming idea was that just because no evidence was found did not mean Barry James was not a child molester and still Jonathon Edington, who had been released on a million dollar bond, was a hero.

The James family in a way were looking forward to a trial because they felt that a trial would vindicate their son. Instead in June of 2007 Jonathon Edington would plead guilty to first degree manslaughter and there would not be a trial. The defense had already made it clear that they planned to use a defense similar to insanity, or crime of passion. They also had a psychiatrist ready to testify that Christina suffered from postpartum depression. I cannot say that they were planning to claim that Christina had made up the story about the molestation but reality of it always was that whether the child had been molested or not was not necessarily the issue. The issue was what Jonathon Edington believed at the time that he killed Barry James. Prosecutors knew that they would have an issue either way in getting a conviction on first degree murder so they offered the plea deal and they asked for twenty years, the maximum allowed in the plea.

On August 31, 2007, just a year after the murder, Jonathon Edington, who had been free on bond, entered the courtroom hand in hand with his wife for his sentencing. The judge would give him the twenty year sentence the prosecutors wanted, but he would suspend eight of those years, leaving him twelve to serve. He was also given five years probation. The judge made it pretty clear that he believed Jonathon was not the only one responsible.

“Something was set into motion in this man's mind- real or perceived. It was real to him.”

“There is a certain responsibility that lies not only with this man, but with others in this courtroom, someone else will have to live with this on their conscience. As far as the blame for the situation it lies at his feet, but there is one other individual who it may be considered to have some degree of culpability. I wouldn't want to have this on my conscience.”

Jonathon would make a statement at his sentencing stating that he still wholeheartedly believed his wife. He told the judge that he completely trusted her and believes what she told him on the phone that night was the truth. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that whether his child was molested or not, it was the phone call from Christina telling him these things that set things in motion that night.

Barry James' family filed separate civil suits against both Jonathon and Christina. After the sentencing Christina tried to run out and avoid everyone but she was basically served as the elevator in the courthouse was closing. The civil suits were wrongful death suits and the James family, both themselves and through their attorney openly stated that the suits were not about money, nor did they ask for a specified amount but it was about vindicating their son and brother.

As most of us know civil trials are quite different than criminal trials. Things that would not generally be let in in a criminal trial can be in civil cases. The biggest difference in finding someone liable in a civil case as opposed as guilty in a criminal case is the level of “doubt” per se. In a criminal trial someone must be found guilty “beyond reasonable doubt” but in a civil case one can be found liable by a “preponderance of evidence” or “likely” based on the evidence. Of course a civil case does not involve any sort of jail or prison time preventing freedoms to a defendant and are generally monetary in judgments. In some cases, like this one, for the people who sue, it can be more about getting answers, or releasing them to the public.

In 2009 however a judge dismissed the civil case against Christina. The case surrounded around the fact that the James family claimed that her claims to Jonathon that night about what her daughter allegedly stated to her were either lies or exaggerations and that it was these statements that caused Jonathon to do what he did. I can only assume that the plan was to prove that she had either lied about the entire situation, led the child to say certain things or had taken what the child allegedly said to be the complete truth, without reason or questioning. However, the judge in the case stated that Christina could not be held liable for something her husband did, hence he dismissed the case.

In late 2010 the civil trial against Jonathon began. He represented himself and many believed when he first began to speak that he was going to vindicate Barry James on his own and admit that he had not molested his child. He started out by saying...

“Let me just say that I am going to testify about things I believed. Just because I believed it does not mean I believe it today”

However that idea did not last long when he continued...

“I still believe my daughter was afraid of him and he must have done something. But, I cannot believe he was a bad person overall, certainly nothing he could have done justified what I did to him.”

It was at this civil trial that more information about the investigation into the molestation was revealed. As I discussed earlier, it was said that Christina Edington refused to cooperate with authorities in the investigation. I took that then and now to mean that she would not discuss things or maybe have her child examined. That alone seems odd to me, which I will get into later. The James' however did cooperate and allowed authorities to go through many things as well as told them about their son. First, if the story that the child was telling was true then Barry James would come through her window at night and investigators believed that in order to do this he would have needed some sort of tool or instrument that would have allowed him to get inside. They found nothing. They also looked in all of Barry James' things and even computers and again, found nothing that indicated anything. They also learned more about Barry James. He was a fifty-nine year old man who was very overweight and suffered from diabetes. He worked part time at a local funeral home but it was said that he had “trouble walking without assistance.” Despite learning all of this the investigators continued to dig. It is unclear whether Christina allowed investigators in the home or whether they were forced to get a warrant to search there. The investigators looked for fingerprints outside and around the bedroom window in which the two year old had claimed “Barry” had entered her room. They also checked the bed and bedding for any evidence. They found none. So, not only was there no evidence that Barry James had been in the home, investigators determined that due to his health and disabilities there was absolutely no way Barry James could have gotten in the window.

The jury deliberated and came to the conclusion that Jonathon obviously was liable for Barry's death. The awarded the James family $315,000. Attorney's for the James' reminded the media that the case was never about money, nor did they expect to recover any money. This case was about vindication. But, the question is.... after four years would anyone believe it? When this case first came to light it was thought of as a “vigilante murder” and Jonathon was praised for his actions. While the investigation in a legal sense vindicated Barry James I am unsure that there are still not doubters. It was said Christina Edington was present at the trial and while she still did not talk to reporters, it was said unlike at Jonathon's criminal trial she did not “run” out but left with a smile on her face.

Let me be clear in the fact that I honestly question whether a two year could adequately, let alone truthfully, relay information that would come to this conclusion. Now, I know there have been statements made by professionals that say it is possible, but history has shown us that to get an accurate and truthful statement from a child, especially one this young, is very delicate. We have seen cases where children have been LED by even professionals to make allegations and Christina was obviously not a professional. Then I am sure there will be those who will pick and choose which parts of the toddlers statement to believe. For instance the child said “Barry” came into her room “on starry nights” through her window. If investigators all but ruled out that this was possible then what other options are there? Of course there could have been other windows and even doors but then that changes the story of the child... and it would mean that this person had, according to the daughter, done this without being noticed, caught, heard or seen, several times. How is that possible? This was not a situation where this was a friend of the family who was over at their house a lot and very close to the family so if this occurred it would have had to be done at night or when the parents were not around. There are also questions as to why Christina was uncooperative in the investigation. Why would she not allow her child to be talked to or presumably examined? This all makes no sense. Her story was that her child had told her this and she told her husband. Her conversation with husband resulted in her husband murdering another man. Why would she not do everything she could to prove that her daughter had at the very least stated she had been molested, if not examined to be sure? Why would she not want to prove that what she said had actually happened and give her husband a “valid” defense? At the very least you would think she would want to know if it was true, that is unless she made it all up.

Jonathon Edington is no longer in prison. I cannot say exactly when he was released. I saw a screenshot of a Connecticut Department of Corrections when he was still incarcerated but I was left a bit confused. Most states will have a “minimum” or “earliest” release date and have a “maximum” release date. This one only showed the maximum release as some time in 2018. I also cannot say for certain whether Jonathon and Christina remained married.

I would be curious to know what Jonathon believes today....