Over 18 years later, Jimmy Ryce’s killer will face the death penalty of Wednesday.
Chavez will face lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke. The Ryce family said that the upcoming death penalty will help them feel that justice has been served.
Juan Carlos Chavez, 46, abducted Ryce at gunpoint when he was heading home on his school bus back in September 1995. In his trial, Chavez was accused and proven guilty murder, sexual battery and kidnapping, reports Fox News.
Three months after the murder, Chavez’s landlady found Ryce’s school bag in Chavez’s home. Chavez then confessed to the murder and led police to Ryce’s remains.
To help them through the hard times, the family created the Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction, a nonprofit group set out to spread awareness about predators.
However, the family trouble’s remained a challenged. According to ABC 15, as Jimmy Ryce’s mother died of a heart attack in 2009 and his sister committed suicide last year.