Man Who Raped, Killed Florida Boy To Be Executed

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man who raped and killed a 9-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County 18 years ago is scheduled to die by lethal injection.

Juan Carlos Chavez is scheduled for execution at 6 p.m. today at Florida State Prison.

Chavez abducted Jimmy Ryce at gunpoint after the boy got off a school bus on Sept. 11, 1995, in rural southwestern Miami-Dade County. Trial testimony showed Chavez raped the boy, shot him when he tried to escape, then dismembered his body.

Chavez is still pursuing state and federal appeals. Among his claims: Florida's lethal injection procedure is unconstitutional.

Ryce's parents tried to alleviate the pain of the tragedy by pushing for laws regarding confinement of sexual predators and working to improve police procedures in missing child cases.