The Florida Supreme Court has denied a stay of execution for a man who raped and killed a 9-year-old boy in Miami-Dade County 18 years ago.
The court refused to halt today's scheduled execution to allow Juan Carlos Chavez time to challenge Florida's method of lethal injection. Chavez is scheduled to die at 6 pm Eastern (2300 GMT) at Florida State Prison in Starke. Chavez still has an appeal pending before the US Supreme Court.
Chavez was sentenced to death for the 1995 rape and murder of Jimmy Ryce after the boy got off a school bus. His remains were discovered three months later, dismembered and hidden in concrete-covered planters.
