TALLAHASSEE — Prison officials in Starke say the man who kidnapped, raped and buried alive 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford has died of cancer.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said John Evander Couey, 51, died at 11:15 a.m. today at a Jacksonville hospital.

She said Couey had been ill for some time. She declined to provide any specifics, citing a federal law protecting the privacy of hospital patients.

Jessica was kidnapped and killed in Citrus County in 2005. Couey was sentenced to death in 2007.

Mark Lunsfords mother, Ruthie, told news media today she “was not crying”, and added, “God done this in his own time..” Mark, she said, was ecstatic and went for a ride on his motorcycle after he heard the news that Couey had died. She also told reporters that she had heard that Couey was suffering from anal cancer.