TALLAHASSE, Fla. – Juan Carlos Chavez, the man convicted of murdering 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce, has been scheduled for execution on Feb. 12.
The office of Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the execution date in a release on Thursday afternoon. Florida State Prison warden John Palmer signed the death warrant and scheduled the execution for 6:00 PM on Feb. 12.
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Ryce disappeared on September 11, 1995 after being dropped off by his school bus in Miami-Dade County. Before making it home, Chavez abducted Ryce and sexually assaulted him in a trailer before shooting the boy when he tried to escape.
Chavez then dismembered Ryce's body and sealed the remains in planters filled with concrete.
Chavez was arrested three months later after Ryce's book bag was found in his trailer.
"I just received the news that justice will finally be done in the murder of my son, Jimmy, on September 11, 1995," said Don Ryce, Jimmy's father, who now lives in Vero Beach. "I feel a combination of sadness and relief. I hope this sends a message to predators that this behavior will not go unpunished."