Man convicted of murder, rape executed in Florida

A Florida man convicted of the brutal murder of a college freshman and the rape of the victim’s older sister during a 1994 camping trip was executed on Thursday.

Loran Cole, 57, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison, where he was pronounced dead at 18:15 local time (23:15 BST).

Cole was sentenced to death for the killing of 18-year-old John Edwards, a Florida State University student, and was serving two life sentences for the rape of Edwards’ 21-year-old sister, Pam, who was a senior at Eckerd College.

The US Supreme Court denied Cole’s final appeal against the death penalty earlier on Thursday. His defense attorneys argued that Cole, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and had been diagnosed with mental illness and brain damage, should not be executed.

They claimed that his Parkinson’s symptoms would “make it impossible” for the execution to be conducted humanely.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody countered in a legal brief, noting that Cole had only raised the issue of Parkinson’s Disease after his execution date was set, despite having known about his condition for at least seven years.

The Supreme Court rejected Cole’s appeal without explanation, which is typical in death penalty cases.

Cole declined to make a final statement, responding “No, sir” when asked for his last words.

According to the Associated Press, he was visited by his son and another individual before the execution and chose pizza and ice cream as his last meal.

Witnesses reported that Cole inhaled deeply, and his body trembled before he stopped breathing and was declared dead.

Cole’s lawyers had previously sought an appeal based on the “horrific and tragic” abuse he endured at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a notorious Florida reform school where children were subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse for decades.

Earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed Cole’s death warrant, signed a bill allocating $20 million (£15.2 million) for the school’s victims. The school was the inspiration for Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys.

The crimes that led to Cole’s death sentence occurred nearly 30 years ago when Cole and an accomplice, William Paul, befriended John Edwards and his sister Pam during a camping trip in Florida’s Ocala National Forest.

The men lured the siblings away from their campsite, robbed them, and then attacked them. Edwards was beaten, had his throat slit, and his body was left in the forest. Pam was tied to a tree and raped repeatedly over the course of two days before she managed to escape and find help.

Both Cole and Paul were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The parents of the siblings, who did not attend the execution, had a statement read by prison officials afterward.

“We are void of feelings and empathy for Mr. Cole. He placed himself into this arena.

“He does not deserve mercy.” The statement read.