Man who killed, decapitated woman gets 15 years in prison

A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for killing a Newark woman found decapitated and wrapped in a blanket in the garage of a city home in late 2015.

James Edwards will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence under the No Early Release Act (NERA) for the death of Pamela Davis, 50. He’d pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and desecration of human remains, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Davis was reported missing in October 2015, and found about a month later, in the 800 block of South 11th Street – a home friends and relatives say is connected to Edwards.

Authorities have said Edwards and Davis were in a dispute and that Edwards killed her – possibly over $5 – and attempted to get rid of the body by dismembering her remains.

Davis’ head and neck were severed from her body, and were never recovered, authorities said.

Davis’ family members remembered Davis as a “good, strong loving woman with the heart of a lion,” who spent her days caring for her four children and making money by helping elderly people in the neighborhood.

Edwards remains for now at the Essex County jail, where records show he’s also being detained on charges of failing to register as a sex offender.

– Reporter Thomas Moriarity contributed to this report.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.