Cole Appeals Supreme Court to Stop Execution in Florida

Cole Appeals to Supreme Court to Stop Execution in Florida.
Condemned to death for murder.
Here are the details.

Loran Kenstley Cole, a 57-year-old inmate sentenced to death in Florida for the brutal murder of Florida State University (FSU) student John Edwards in 1994, has filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

He’s requesting a stay of his execution scheduled for tomorrow Thursday, August 29.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Cole’s death warrant on July 30, and the execution by lethal injection is scheduled for August 29 at Florida State Prison, according to state Supreme Court’s website documents.

Cole is accused of torturing and murdering 18-year-old Edwards in the Ocala National Forest, where he had been camping with his sister, Pam Edwards, whom he also raped.

Cole Appeals to Supreme Court to Stop Execution in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizes death penalty for 1994 kidnapping and murder: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a 30-year-old kidnapping and murder case involving a brother and sister.

Loran Kenstley Cole, 57, has been… https://t.co/2KfiXDtCx2 pic.twitter.com/ztyk36s2kH

— Global Voters (@global_voters) July 31, 2024

After the attack, Cole and his accomplice William Paul stole and fled in the victims’ vehicle. Paul, who pleaded guilty, is serving a life sentence.

In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Cole argues that the use of lethal injection for his execution will cause him «unnecessary pain and suffering» due to the effects of Parkinson’s disease he suffers from.

His lawyers argue that involuntary movements caused by the disease could complicate the insertion of the intravenous lines needed to carry out the execution.

On August 23, the Florida Supreme Court rejected another appeal by Cole, in which he also argued that his execution should be blocked due to the abuses suffered during his time in a state reformatory.

It would be the first execution in Florida since 1996

If the execution goes ahead, it will be the first in Florida since last October when Michael Zack was executed for the murder of Ravonne Smith in 1996.

It would also be the ninth execution under Governor DeSantis’ tenure, who has pushed a judicial reform allowing the death penalty to be imposed with a simple majority, rather than the previously required unanimity.

Since 1979, the Florida Department of Corrections has carried out 105 executions.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Cole’s appeal could have significant implications for the execution and the future of death sentences in the state.