Florida executed inmate Loran Kenstley Cole on Thursday, August 29, convicted of the 1994 murder of a college student, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal to stop the maximum sentence.
Loran K. Cole, 57, spent three decades on death row after being convicted of murdering John Edwards, an 18-year-old Florida State University student, 30 years ago.
Loran Cole, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, was executed by lethal injection and was declared dead at 18:15 local time (10:15 GMT) at Florida’s state prison in Raiford. The inmate did not utter a word before being executed.
According to Newsweek, the condemned man’s last meal was pizza, ice cream, M&Ms and soda.
They challenged the lethal injection procedure
Loran Cole’s attorneys had challenged the lethal injection procedures on the grounds that administering the drugs “would likely cause unnecessary pain and suffering” due to symptoms caused by the Parkinson’s disease he suffered from.
The high court, however, refused to halt the execution, the first of the year in Florida and the 13th in the country in 2024. The Supreme Court also rejected an appeal in which they argued that she suffered abuse for decades at a state-run reform school, EFE said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant last July after the death row inmate was sentenced for torturing and murdering 18-year-old student John Edwards and raping his sister Pam Edwards.
The crime occurred in 1994
Loran K. Cole met John Edwards and his 21-year-old sister Pam in February 1994 while they were at a campsite and called himself “Kevin.” He offered to help them set up camp, then left, but returned with another man whom he introduced as his brother.
The four of them went for a walk together. During the walk, Cole handcuffed Pam Edwards, but John Edwards tried to fight back, but was thrown to the ground.
The other man, identified as William Christopher Paul, took Pam Edwards away, while Cole slit John’s throat and hit him in the head. John died from his injuries. The two men raped Pam and tied her to a tree, but she managed to free herself and call for help.
Multiple charges against him
Loran K. Cole and William Christopher Paul were charged with one count of murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery and two counts of rape.
In 1995, the accomplice agreed to plead guilty to murder, kidnapping and robbery charges to avoid the death penalty. He is currently serving five consecutive life sentences at Cross City Correctional Institution in Florida.
Loran Cole’s execution was the ninth in Florida under Gov. DeSantis. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, 105 people have been executed by the state since 1979.
The Death Penalty Information Center states that a total of 27 states have this penalty, which are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
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