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Some key dates in the case of a Canadian serving life sentence in Florida

Some key dates in the case of a Canadian serving life sentence in Florida | iNFOnews.ca
William (Russ) Davies, centre, poses for with his parents, Richard Davies, right, and Carol Davies as they visit their son in a Florida prison in this April 2005 handout photo. Davies is currently serving a life sentence in a Florida prison for a he denies committing in an incident 30 years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO A
Original Publication Date: June 22, 2016 2:11AM
Publication Updated: April 28, 2025 4:19AM

TORONTO – William Russell (Russ) Davies, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was 19 when he was sentenced to life in prison in 1988 in Daytona Beach, Fla., for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Some key dates in his story:

Spring 1986: Russell Davies, 17, heads from Richmond Hill, Ont., to Daytona Beach, Fla.

June 1986: Jack Chaney, 28, is shot dead near Daytona Beach, Fla.

July 1, 1986: Davies, 18, is arrested for an unrelated crime and placed in a juvenile detention centre.

July 26, 1986: Chaney’s skeletal remains are found in a clearing off Old Dixie Highway, northwest of Daytona Beach.

July 27, 1986: A park ranger is notified about the remains. Police arrive at the crime scene.

Sept. 17, 1986: A correctional officer, William Snyder, claims Davies confessed to firing the first shot at Chaney.

March 31, 1988: Davies, 19, is convicted of first-degree murder; sentenced to life.

July 31, 2046: Davies’s presumptive parole release date.

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