It is planned for a Florida man to be executed on Thursday for the murder of a college freshman and the rape of the student’s sister while the siblings were camping in a national park thirty years ago.
Loran Cole is scheduled to be executed at Florida State Prison shortly after 6 p.m. for the 1994 killing, barring intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court. For rape, Cole is also serving two life terms.
Court documents state that at the Ocala National Forest, Cole made friends with the two college students, William Paul. Following their conversation by the fire, the men proposed to show the siblings a pond. Cole and Paul jumped the victims and stole their belongings when they were out of the tent.
The 18-year-old brother, a Florida State University student, was dumped in the forest after being battered and having his throat cut. Cole brought his sister, a 21-year-old senior at Eckerd College, back to the campsite, where he sexually assaulted and bound her.
After being raped the previous day, the woman was left tied to a tree for the whole night. Eventually, she was able to release herself and signal for assistance from a driver. Court documents state that the brother’s body was discovered by police on the ground, face down.
Last month, Cole’s death warrant was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Cole’s 57-year-old attorneys brought up a number of issues in their appeal, one of which was that Cole was a student at a state-run rehabilitation school where he and other boys were sexually assaulted and abused.
Since then, the state has expressed regret for the mistreatment, and last year, a statute permitting compensation for former students at the now-closed reform school was passed.
Additionally, Cole’s attorneys contended that his Parkinson’s disease, mental illness, and brain impairment precluded Cole from being put to death.
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The defense’s arguments were dismissed by the state Supreme Court. First-degree murder convictions were obtained for Paul and Cole. Paul received a life sentence.
This will be Florida’s first execution since Michael Zack was executed in October of last year for the 1996 murder of Ravonne Smith.
