Samuel James "Jimmy" Ryce
(September 11, 1995) was a child
that was abducted, raped and killed
by Juan Carlos Chavez in Homestead,
Florida, United States.

Jimmy's story

On September 11, 1995, nine-year-old
Jimmy was taking the bus from school.
He was dropped off, along with ten
classmates, and had to walk less than
a block to his home. According to the
confession of Juan Carlos Chavez, Chavez
blocked Jimmy's path with his pickup truck
and held the little boy at gunpoint forcing
him inside the truck. Chavez took Jimmy
to his trailer where he raped him. Later,
When he heard a helicopter hovering above,
Jimmy ran to the door and tried to open it
only to be shot in the back by Chavez, who
held the child until he took his last breath.
Jimmy was just fifteen days shy of his tenth
birthday when he died.

The child's dismembered body was found
three months later near Chavez's trailer.

Capturing Chavez

Chavez worked for the Scheinhaus family.
He lived in a trailer on their property.
Around the time of Jimmy's disappearance,
Scheinhaus reported several items missing
from her home including a handgun and
jewelry. Scheinhaus suspected Chavez, but
had no evidence to support her suspicions.
Aided by a locksmith, Scheinhaus entered
Chavez's apartment. She found her handgun
and Jimmy's bookbag. She reported her
findings to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation on December 5, 1995. Chavez
was found a day later and taken in for
questioning.

Being advised of his rights and after a 55-
hour-long interrogation, Chavez openly
admitted to abducting, raping and murdering
Jimmy. Chavez also led police to the boy's
body, which was dismembered and hidden in
cement in three plastic planters.

The murder case

In the fall of 1998, Juan Carlos Chavez was
convicted of kidnapping, sexual assault, and
murder. Chavez was given the death penalty.
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed his
conviction and sentence on November 21,
2002.
[http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/pre2004/ops/sc94586.pdf]
In July 2004, Chavez filed a motion for post-
conviction relief, alleging ineffective
assistance of counsel. The motion was
amended in May 2005
[http://www.floridacapitalcases.state.fl.us/case_updates/M18034.doc]
and was heard in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on
January 9, 2007.
[http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16419103.htm]
The circuit court judge denied the motion on
March 8, 2007.
[http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/35357.html]
Chavez filed a 3.851 Motion Appeal in the
Florida Supreme Court on May 23, 2007 that is
pending.