A Florida man convicted of murdering a college freshman and sexually assaulting his sister during a 1994 camping trip was executed on Thursday. Loran Cole, 57, received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison and was declared dead at 6:15 p.m. local time (11:15 p.m. BST).
Cole was sentenced to death for the murder of 18-year-old John Edwards and was also serving two life sentences for the rape of Edwards’ older sister. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Cole’s final appeal against his death sentence earlier in the day.
Cole’s defense attorneys had requested a stay of execution, citing his Parkinson’s Disease and claims of mental illness and brain damage. They argued that his medical condition would make the execution inhumane. In their last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court, they emphasized the severity of his Parkinson’s symptoms, which they said would prevent the procedure from being carried out humanely.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody countered these claims, noting that Cole had been aware of his Parkinson’s for at least seven years before raising it as an issue. The Supreme Court declined to provide an explanation for their decision to reject the appeal, a common practice in death penalty cases.
Cole did not offer a final statement when given the opportunity, responding with a terse “No, sir” when asked for his last words. According to reports, he was visited by his son and another individual before the execution. For his last meal, he chose pizza and ice cream.
Local media reported that Cole exhibited visible tremors during the execution process before ceasing to breathe and being pronounced dead. His attorneys had previously argued that Cole’s traumatic experiences at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys—a notorious reform school known for its physical and sexual abuse—should be considered in his case. The school, which inspired Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys, received $20 million in compensation for its victims earlier this year, following a bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The crime for which Cole was executed involved Cole and accomplice William Paul targeting Edwards and his sister Pam during a camping trip in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. The victims were lured away from their campsite, robbed, and attacked. Edwards, a Florida State University student, was murdered, while his sister, a senior at Eckerd College, was assaulted and raped by Cole. She managed to escape and seek help the following day.
Paul and Cole were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Following the execution, the Edwards family issued a statement through prison officials. “We are void of feelings and empathy for Mr. Cole. He placed himself into this arena,” the statement read. “He does not deserve mercy.”