On Wednesday night, a lethal injection completed the death penalty against Juan Carlos Chávez, an immigrant of Cuban origin that in 1995 kidnapped, raped and murdered minor Jimmy Ryce in Florida. The father of the victim was a witness to the execution.
The execution took place at 8:17 p.m. EST, in the Florida state prison in Starke, after small delays happened due to a last-minute appeal by Juan Carlos Chávez' lawyers at Court, but it was finally rejected.
In his last written statement, the criminal did not show any remorse, saying that "none of us can judge other sins", reported Reuters, "I doubt there's anything I can do to satisfy everyone, less so those who only see me as someone deserving of punishment."
Related News: Florida Prepares the Execution of Cuban Inmate that Murdered 9-Year-Old Jimmy Ryce
The case of Jimmy Ryce's disappearance and murder shocked the entire nation in 1995. The minor's parent were supported by dozens of volunteers that joined the search; however, three months after disappearing, the remains of the boy were found next to Juan Carlos Chávez' mobile home, where the backpack Jimmy wore to school was found.
A Tragic Story for the Ryce After Jimmy's Death
After the crime against their 9-year-old son was confirmed, the victim's parents, Don and Claudine Ryce, opened a center to help kidnapped and missing children in southern Florida, providing hounds to the police department to help find missing children throughout the country, according to Reuters.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed an order to allow the publication of posters with photographs and information on missing children in federal buildings and offices, a promulgation at which the Ryce were present.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Don Ryce said that his son's death was an event that marked the lives of his family and condemned him to tragedy. In 2009, Jimmy's mother died of a heart attack, a "broken heart", he said, and in 2012, Jimmy's stepsister, Martha, committed suicide over the grief of losing them both.
"Excuse me if I shed no tears for Juan Carlos Chávez," said Ryce.