Convicted Killer Executed in Florida After Brutal Crime Spree

Execution of Convicted Killer

The state of Flori­da has exe­cut­ed Loran Cole, 57, for the 1994 mur­der of a col­lege stu­dent and the rape of his sis­ter. Cole received a lethal injec­tion at 6:15 pm on Thurs­day, August 29, 2024, for the 30-year-old offense.

Brutal Crime Spree

Accord­ing to the details, Cole and his accom­plice, William Paul, now 50, befriend­ed John Edwards, 18, and his sis­ter Pam, 21, as they were camp­ing in the Ocala Nation­al For­est. The men then led the sib­lings away from the camp­site, where they pro­ceed­ed to beat John and slit his throat.

As John lay dying, Cole raped Pam. The next day, Cole raped Pam again before the woman man­aged to free her­self and flag down a dri­ver for help.

Legal Battles and Last Meal

Cole’s exe­cu­tion was delayed for years due to sev­er­al appeals and motions. His attor­neys had argued that his Parkin­son’s dis­ease would make the lethal injec­tion pro­ce­dure inhu­mane, but the courts reject­ed these claims.

In his final hours, Cole shared a last meal of piz­za, ice cream, and M&Ms with his son and a pen pal.

Victim’s Family Speaks Out

The par­ents of the vic­tims did not attend the exe­cu­tion, nor did Pam, who has since gone on to become a wife, teacher, and pro­fes­sor. In a state­ment, the fam­i­ly said, “Though invis­i­ble to oth­ers, our daugh­ter bears inter­nal scars that will nev­er go away.

She bat­tled years of fear, pain, and sor­row. She is our hero.” The fam­i­ly also said they were “void of feel­ings and empa­thy for Mr. Cole” and that “he does not deserve mercy.”