Jonathon Edington was born on October 29, 1976, in the United States. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. Not much is known about his childhood or family background. However, he was academically inclined from an early age and pursued higher education.

Edington studied engineering at Syracuse University. After completing his engineering degree, he went on to attend law school. He graduated with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Fordham Law School in New York City in 2004. After law school, he began working as a patent lawyer. He practiced law at a small firm in Fairfield, Connecticut.

On August 28, 2006, Jonathon Edington went to his neighbor's house and killed Barry James. Edington had been informed that his two-year-old daughter had been molested by James. Shortly after hearing this, he went next door and stabbed James thirteen times in the heart, chest, and hand. James died later at Bridgeport Hospital.

Following the stabbing, Edington was taken into custody. Initially, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. The police investigated the molestation claims and concluded that Barry James had not abused Edington's daughter or anyone else. The investigation revealed that Edington's wife did not cooperate with authorities, and there were concerns about her mental health.

In June 2007, rather than going to trial, Edington changed his plea to guilty of first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison on August 31, 2007. The judge reduced the original sentence and ordered him to serve five years of probation after his prison term.

Meanwhile, Barry James's family filed a lawsuit against Edington for wrongful death. They claimed that the allegations against James were unfounded and harmful. They sought financial compensation related to James’s death. Edington's actions had led to significant media attention both in the United States and abroad.