Florida Executes Loran Cole for Brutal Murder of FSU Student

Florida executed Loran Cole on Thursday for the 1994 murder of an 18-year-old college student, John Edwards, whose sister was raped during what began as a camping trip but ended in tragedy for the family. Cole, aged 57, was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, nearly 40 miles southwest of Jacksonville. This marks Florida’s first execution this year and the 13th in the United States.

Convicted of Edwards’ murder and the sexual assault of his sister in the Ocala National Forest, located around 70 miles northwest of Orlando, Cole’s execution followed years of legal battles. He did not offer any last words before a prison doctor confirmed his death.

Witnesses at the scene included prison guards, communications staff from the Florida Department of Corrections, and seven journalists, one of whom was from the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network.

On the day of his execution, Cole awoke at 6 a.m. His last meal consisted of pizza, M&M’s, ice cream, and a soda. While he did not meet with a spiritual adviser, he was accompanied by his 36-year-old son, Ryan Cole, and a pen-pal friend, Beth Evans, with whom he had been corresponding for four years. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections conveyed that Cole was offered a sedative but could not confirm whether he accepted it.

The family of John Edwards, the murder victim, chose not to attend Cole’s execution, as it is against Florida Department of Corrections guidelines for victim family members to witness the execution.

On February 18, 1994, during a camping outing, the Edwards siblings met Cole, then 27, and his accomplice, 20-year-old William Paul. Cole misrepresented himself by using a false name. That night, while attempting to reach a pond to photograph alligators, the encounter descended into horror when Cole assaulted Edwards’ sister. Despite her brother’s efforts to intervene, he was overpowered by both men.

Cole attacked John Edwards, who was ultimately murdered, suffering a slashed throat and multiple skull fractures. Edwards’ sister endured a horrific experience, being raped and restrained between two trees until she managed to escape the following morning. A passerby found her and called 911. Authorities later discovered Edwards’ body, which had been concealed with debris.

Following the heinous acts, police apprehended both Cole and Paul three days later. In 1995, they were convicted of first-degree murder, multiple counts of kidnapping, and robbery with a deadly weapon. Cole also faced charges of sexual battery and was sentenced to death; Paul pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment, a sentence he still serves in Florida.

In the lead-up to his execution, Cole’s son visited him on death row alongside his mother. Ryan reminisced about his father’s charm, asserting that his father maintained his innocence throughout. Cole, said to be “praying for a miracle,” has persistently asserted that he did not kill Edwards, claiming the murder weapon was found with Paul’s belongings and had his fingerprints.

Throughout the years, Cole’s legal team filed over a dozen appeals, emphasizing the severe childhood trauma he endured at the notorious Dozier School for Boys, a state-run institution. His attorneys argued for clemency, claiming that lethal injection would inflict unnecessary suffering due to Cole’s Parkinson’s disease, which he has been battling since 2017.

On Thursday, mere minutes before his execution, Cole’s request was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. A similar appeal had been dismissed by the Florida Supreme Court the previous week. With this execution, Florida reached its seventh execution since August 2019. The most recent prior execution involved Michael Zach for a woman’s murder in 1996.

This marked Florida’s 106th execution since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 and witnessed the first execution since it resumed in the state in 1979. In response to Cole’s execution, the organization Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty issued a statement denouncing it as hypocritical. They noted that less than a month prior, the state recognized the long-term damage inflicted on children in the Dozier School, yet they executed a survivor from that facility.

The organization attempted to deliver over 7,000 signed petitions opposing Cole’s execution but reported that public access to the Governor’s office was denied due to construction. They criticized the lack of transparency in the clemency process and the failure of key officials to be available during this critical time.

In a related case, two days prior to Cole’s execution, a Florida judge sentenced 30-year-old Wade Wilson to death for the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz. In Florida, condemned inmates can choose between execution methods, primarily lethal injection or electrocution, with a decision required if Wilson’s conviction is upheld by the Florida Supreme Court.

Source: USA TODAY