A man from Florida was executed on Thursday for a terrible crime he did many years ago.
Back in 1994, Loran Cole killed a young 18-year-old college student named John Edwards. He also hurt and attacked John’s older sister, Pam, who was 21 at the time. This happened during a camping trip.
Cole, who was 57 years old, was given a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. He was declared dead at 6:15 in the evening, local time.
Cole was originally sentenced to death for killing John Edwards. He also had to spend his life in prison for attacking Pam.
On the day of his execution, Cole’s lawyers tried to stop it. They said Cole was very sick. He had Parkinson’s Disease, mental illness, and brain damage. They believed he should not be executed because of his health.
Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, said Cole only mentioned his sickness after his execution date was set. He had known about it for many years but only brought it up now.
The highest court in the US, the Supreme Court, rejected Cole’s final appeal. They did not give any reasons, which is normal in such cases.
When asked for his last words, Cole simply said, “No, sir.”
According to news, Cole was visited by his son and another person just before his execution. For his last meal, he chose pizza and ice cream.
Witnesses saw him take a deep breath and tremble before he stopped breathing and was pronounced dead.
In the past, Cole’s lawyers tried to appeal by saying he endured terrible abuse as a child. He had been to a reform school called Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, where children were treated very poorly.
Earlier in the year, the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed a bill to give $20 million to the victims of that school. This reform school inspired a famous novel called “The Nickel Boys.”
The awful crimes Cole committed happened almost 30 years ago. During a camping trip in Florida’s Ocala National Forest, Cole and his friend, William Paul, met John and Pam Edwards. They tricked the siblings, robbed, and attacked them. John was beaten badly, had his throat cut, and left in the forest. Pam was tied to a tree and attacked for two days. She finally escaped and found help.
Both Cole and Paul were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The parents of John and Pam Edwards did not attend the execution but had a statement read out by prison officials afterward.
It said, “We do not feel sorry for Mr. Cole. He brought this upon himself. He does not deserve mercy.”