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On Thursday, Florida State Prison is set to execute Loran Kenstley Cole, who has been found guilty of murder, kidnapping, and rape, via lethal injection. Cole was convicted for the 1994 murder of 18-year-old Florida State University student John Edwards and for raping and kidnapping Edward’s sister.
According to case details, Cole befriended Edwards and his sister Pam at a campsite, pretending to offer help before betraying their trust. He returned to the campsite with an accomplice, misrepresented as his brother, and during a walk, he assaulted Pam Edwards, handcuffed her, and pushed her to the ground. While John Edwards attempted to defend his sister, he was subdued by Cole, who then fatally attacked him, slitting his throat and severely beating him.
The accomplice took Pam Edwards away, and she was raped by Cole and abandoned, tied to two trees. She managed to escape the following morning.
Should the execution proceed, Cole will be the first person executed in Florida this year and the 13th nationwide in 2024. Currently, Cole is among the 279 individuals waiting on Florida’s death row, part of a larger national total of 2,241 condemned inmates.
Cole’s defense argued that his criminal actions were influenced by the severe abuse he suffered as a child at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a state-run reform school known for its brutality, which was eventually shut down.
He reported being raped, beaten, and sustaining broken legs inflicted by staff members after an escape attempt. Over the years, Cole has repeatedly appealed his conviction and consistently blamed his crimes on his alleged accomplice.