Murderer Loran Cole (57) executed by lethal injection

30 years after the murder

Loran Cole (57) executed by lethal injection – he did not want to speak his last words

Photos.00_00_01_23.Still008.jpg — Loran Cole committed a murder 30 years ago – now he has been executed.

AP

30 August 2024 Uh 17:14 Clock

A lethal injection put an end to his life.

Loran Cole (57) was executed on Thursday in the US state of Florida. He was convicted of killing a student and raping his older sister in a national forest 30 years ago.

Florida: Pizza and ice cream as the last meal

Cole's last meal consisted of pizza, M&Ms, ice cream and lemonade, reports USA Today. When asked if he wanted to say any last words, Cole simply replied “No, sir” and stared at the ceiling. At 6:15 p.m. (local time), the 57-year-old was pronounced dead in Florida State Prison. In addition to the death penalty for murder, he had also been sentenced to two life sentences for rape.

The crime occurred in 1994: Cole and a friend, William Paul, befriended the siblings in the Ocala National Forest, according to court documents. After talking around the campfire, Cole and Paul offered to show them a nearby pond. After moving away from the camp, the two men pounced on the siblings and robbed them.

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First direction in Florida since October

The perpetrators slit the throat of the 18-year-old brother and left him in the forest. His sister took her back to the camp, tied her up and raped her, according to court documents. She was left behind in a tree overnight and raped again the next day. She eventually managed to free herself, flag down a driver and ask for help. Police found her brother face down on the forest floor.

Both Paul and Cole were convicted of murder. Paul received a life sentence. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis approved Cole's execution in July. It was the first execution in Florida since October.