A Florida man was executed after being found guilty of murdering a college freshman and raping the victim’s older sister while on a camping trip.
Loran Cole, 57, received a fatal injection at Florida State Prison. He was pronounced dead at 18:15 local time (23:15 BST).
He was sentenced to death for killing 18-year-old John Edwards in 1994, and he was also serving two life terms for rape.
The US Supreme Court refused Cole’s appeal against the death penalty earlier on Thursday.
His defence attorneys contended that he should not be executed since he had Parkinson’s disease and had been diagnosed with mental illness and brain damage.
His lawyers argued in a last-minute Supreme Court appeal that Cole’s Parkinson’s symptoms would “make it impossible” to carry out the execution in a humane manner.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody stated in a legal brief that Cole only brought up the disease after the execution was scheduled, despite knowing “that he suffers from involuntary tremors for at least seven years.”
The Supreme Court denied his appeal without explanation, as is common in death penalty cases.
Cole declined to make a final comment when given the opportunity, according to the Associated Press.
He responded “No, sir” when asked for his last words.
According to local media, Cole inhaled deeply and trembled until he stopped breathing and was pronounced dead.
His lawyers had earlier filed an appeal, claiming that Cole had endured “horrific and tragic” torture at the Arthur G. Dozier Institution for Boys, an infamous Florida reform institution where personnel physically, emotionally, and sexually assaulted the youngsters committed there for decades.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed Cole’s death warrant, signed a measure earlier this year allocating $20 million (£15.2 million) to the school’s victims.
The school inspired Colson Whitehead’s novel The Nickel Boys, which received the Pulitzer Prize in 2020.
According to court records, Cole and another guy named William Paul became friends with Edwards and his sister Pam while camping in Florida’s Ocala National Forest thirty years ago.
According to the reports, the men enticed the college students away from the campsite before jumping and robbing them.
The brother, 18, attended Florida State University. He was beaten, his neck slit, and his body left in the forest.
His sister, 21, was a senior at Eckerd College. Cole returned her to the campsite, chained her to a tree, and raped her, according to court filings.
He left her there overnight and raped her again the following day.
She eventually escaped and sought assistance from a driver nearby.
Paul and Cole were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The siblings’ parents, who did not attend the death, requested that prison officials read a statement following the execution on Thursday.
“We are void of feelings and empathy for Mr. Cole. He placed himself in this arena. He does not deserve mercy,” the statement said.
