The convicted sex offender who abducted 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford from her bedroom and buried her alive has died in a Florida hospital.

Cops: Man Admits Killing Fla. Girl – CBS News

John Couey, 51, died of natural causes in a Jacksonville hospital, the state prison system said. No other details were released.

Jessica Lunsford: News & Videos about Jessica Lunsford

Couey, who lived in a trailer near Jessica’s home in Homosassa, was sentenced to death in 2007 after admitting he had snatched Jessica and buried her alive in two plastic garbage bags in February 2005.

She was found clutching a purple plush dolphin.  Read more here

Jessica Marie Lunsford (October 6, 1995 – February 27, 2005) was a nine-year-old girl who was abducted from her home in Homosassa, Floridain the early morning of February 24, 2005. Believed held captive over the weekend, she was raped and later murdered by 47-year-old John Couey who was living nearby. The media covered the investigation and trial of her killer extensively. On August 24, 2007 a judge in Inverness, Florida sentenced Couey, a convicted sex offender, to death for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Jessica.

The Jessica Lunsford Act

Following her death, her father, Mark Lunsford, pursued new legislation to provide more stringent tracking of released sex offenders. The Jessica Lunsford Act was named after her. It requires tighter restrictions on sex offenders (such as wearing electronic tracking devices) and increased prison sentences for some convicted sex offenders.  Jessica’s Law refers to similar reform acts initiated by other states.  Read more here

Tags: jessica lundsford, john couey, john couey dies

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