Juan Carlos Chavez was born on March 16, 1967, in Cuba. He arrived in South Florida in 1991 after fleeing his home country on a raft with two other people. He was seeking a new life in the United States.

After settling in Florida, Chavez found work as a farmhand. He later took a job as a handyman for the Scheinhaus family. While working for them, he lived in a trailer located on their property. Information about his family and early life in Cuba is limited and not well-documented.

Chavez's life took a dark turn in the mid-1990s. Around this time, Susan Scheinhaus, the matriarch of the family he worked for, began to notice several items missing from her home, including a handgun and some jewelry. She became suspicious of Chavez, although there was no solid evidence against him at that moment. Susan consulted a psychic, which fueled her concerns.

On December 5, 1995, she and a locksmith entered Chavez's trailer to investigate. They discovered the missing handgun and a bookbag belonging to a young boy named Jimmy Ryce. This prompted Susan to report her findings to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A day later, Chavez was located and brought in for questioning. After being informed of his rights, he underwent an extensive interrogation for 55 hours. During this time, Chavez confessed to serious crimes involving Jimmy Ryce. He provided details that would lead authorities to evidence related to his confession.

Juan Carlos Chavez was involved in the murder of nine-year-old Jimmy Ryce on September 11, 1995. On that day, Jimmy was riding the bus home from school when Chavez blocked his path with his pickup truck. He forced Jimmy into the truck at gunpoint and took him to his trailer on a nearby ranch. There, Chavez assaulted Jimmy. After several hours, Jimmy attempted to escape when he heard a helicopter nearby. Chavez shot him in the back, killing him.

After Jimmy was killed, Chavez dismembered and decapitated his body to hide the crime. The remains were discovered three months later near Chavez's trailer. Following the investigation, he was arrested on December 6, 1995, after the police found evidence linking him to the murder. This included Jimmy's bookbag and a gun that had been reported missing.

During a lengthy interrogation, Chavez confessed to the murder and led investigators to where he had hidden Jimmy's remains. In the fall of 1998, he was found guilty of kidnapping, sexual battery, and capital murder. Chavez was sentenced to death.

He continued to file appeals and motions for post-conviction relief over the years, all of which were denied. Ultimately, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed Chavez's death warrant on January 2, 2014. He was executed by lethal injection on February 12, 2014, at Florida State Prison. Although he did not make a final statement, he left a written message expressing his thoughts.