Juan Carlos Chavez Executed In Florida

Juan Carlos Chavez Executed In Florida For 1995 Rape, Murder, and Dismemberment Of Jimmy Ryce

Facts:

Jimmy Ryce

• Chavez was convicted of kidnapping, sexual battery, and first degree murder in 1998
• Death certificate was signed by Florida Governor Rick Scott on January 2nd of this year
• Ryce's murder was the catalyst of the "Jimmy Ryce Act"

Juan Carlos Chavez was executed Wednesday night for the murder of Samuel James "Jimmy" Ryce of which he was convicted in 1998.  Chavez made no final statement, but prison officials stated that he submitted something in writing before the execution.

Chavez was lethally injected at 8:02 PM. He was seen shuffling his feet immediately after the injection and was pronounced d
ead at 8:17 PM.

Chavez abducted Rice, 9 at the time, on September 11, 1995. As the boy was walking home from a bus stop, Chavez blocked his path on the street with his truck and forced the boy into his truck at gunpoint. Chavez then took the boy to his trailer where he raped him. Hours later, after hearing a helicopter in the sky which was searching for him, he attempted to run out of the door, at which time Chavez shot the boy in the back, holding him until he took his final breaths.

Chavez worked a local family and lived on their property in a trailer. Around the time of the boy's disappearance, Chavez's employers reported items missing from her home which included some jewelry and a handgun. Expecting Chavez to be the culprit, the employer, Susan Scheinhaus, hired a locksmith and entered Chavez's trailer. Being the legal owner of the trailer, she was within the scope of legality. Upon entering the trailer, she found Ryce's backpack and the stolen handgun. She reported her findings to the FBI on December 5th, 1995. Chavez was apprehended the next day and questioned by investigators.

After a 55 hour investigation, Chavez admitting to kidnapping, raping, and murdering Jimmy. Chavez then led investigators to the boy's body, which was dismembered and hidden in cement.

In the fall of 1988, Chavez was convicted of kidnapping, capital sexual battery, and first degree murder and subsequently sentenced to death.

The Jimmy Ryce Act, formally known as the Jimmy Ryce Involuntary Civil Commitment for Sexually Violent Predators' Treatment and Care Act, was passed and signed on May 19th, 1998, becoming effective on January 1st, 1999. The act calls for inmates convicted of sex offenses to be reviewed by the Florida Department of Corrections, the Department of Children and Family Services, and state attorneys in order to determine a rating based of risk of re-offending. Upon release from incarceration, under the act, inmates convicted of sexual offenses may be subjected to civil proceedings and commitment to a secure facility for treatment and evaluation.

The Ryce family created the Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction, an organization that helps increase public awareness about sexual predators. It also provides counseling to parents of victims and helps train law enforcement in ways to respond to missing children cases. The organization has also donated over 400 bloodhounds to police departments internationally.

The Ryce family also helped persuade former President Bill Clinton to sign an order allowing flyers for missing children in federal buildings, which they were not able to do while their son was missing.