Florida Gov. DeSantis signs death warrant in 1994 murder of FSU student

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a death warrant for the man convicted of the 1994 murder of a Florida State University student.

DeSantis' office announced that the execution of Loran Kenstley Cole , 57, was set for 6 p.m. Aug. 29.

The governor hadn’t signed a death warrant since last August, when he set the execution of Michael Duane Zack, 54, for the 1996 murders of two women in Northwest Florida. Before Zack, five longtime Florida inmates died by lethal injection in February, April, May, June and August.

The Florida Supreme Court late Monday "direct(ed) that all further proceedings in this case be expedited" because the execution date is only a month away. A notice of appeal must be filed by 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 12, according to a "warrant schedule" issued by the court.

In part, it said the initial brief on the merits from the defense has to be filed by 9 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14, and the answer brief from the state is due by 3 p.m., Friday, Aug. 16. The defendant's reply brief is due 11 a.m., Monday, Aug. 19, and "oral argument, if necessary, will be scheduled at a later date."

The Ocala-Star Banner, a sister paper of the Tallahassee Democrat, has reported extensively on the Cole case:

On Friday, Feb. 18, 1994, Cole, then 27, and William Paul, then 20, befriended siblings Pam and John Edwards, who planned to spend the weekend camping in the Ocala National Forest. John was an 18-year-old student at FSU; his sister Pam was a 21-year-old student at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.

Cole briefly met them when the Edwardses were setting up their camp, introduced himself as "Kevin" and helped them set up the rest of their site. After they finished dinner, Cole and Paul returned to the siblings' campsite and all four decided to walk to a nearby pond around 10:45 p.m. to take photos of alligators.

They never found the pond. Cole jumped Pam Edwards, handcuffed her and threw her on the ground. John Edwards attacked Paul after that and then Cole helped Paul subdue the brother and threw him on the ground next to his sister.

Paul took Pam Edwards up the path while Cole stayed behind with John Edwards, who died that night from a slashed throat and three blows to the head, which caused his skull to fracture.

Cole, Paul and Pam Edwards returned to the campsite, where Cole threatened to kill her if she did not have sexual intercourse with him. The next day, he raped her again and then gagged her and tied her to a tree. Cole and Paul took off in one of their cars.

By Sunday, Pam Edwards was able to free herself by chewing through the rope. She looked for her brother but was unable to find him. She then flagged down a motorist who took her to call 911. The body of John Edwards was found later that day by law enforcement officers.

“The men who committed these crimes are damnable animals,” then-Marion County Sheriff Ken Ergle said at the time.

In 1995, Cole and Paul were convicted of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon. Cole also was found guilty as charged with two counts of sexual battery. Paul was sentenced to life in prison and Cole was sentenced to death.

Over the years, Cole contested his conviction at least ten times — filing motions to vacate his sentence or writs of habeas corpus (unlawful detention), according to a 2018 article in the Star-Banner. All the efforts were denied either at the trial court level or Florida Supreme Court.

Cole tried to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007, but his petition was denied.

Records show that, as a minor, he had been sent to the now-closed Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, which became infamous for physical, mental and sexual abuse that occurred there. Cole said his own "repressed memories of abuse surfaced" when he read newspaper articles about other victims, which he tried to use as a mitigating factor.

Paul, who pleaded no contest to several charges in the case, is serving life at Cross City Correctional Institution, corrections records show.

Edwards was Phi Gamma Delta brother

A Tallahassee Democrat article from Feb. 21, 1994, captured the reaction of Edwards’ friends and fraternity brothers at the time.

The members of Phi Gamma Delta knew something had happened to their youngest fraternity brother.

None of them were prepared for the six o'clock news. That was when they learned that Edwards had been beaten to death while camping with his sister.

"We were in shock," Chris Spires said several hours later, surrounded by about a dozen other grieving fraternity brothers. Some of them wore black arm bands, one had tears running down his face. "We still basically are."

Edwards, who had gone to high school in Japan, didn't live in the fraternity but in a third-floor room in nearby Landis Hall.

Students there also didn't hear about the murder until the evening news. Within a half-hour, resident-hall coordinators and Florida State University counselors met in the dormitory to talk about what happened and offer counseling to anyone who needed it.

According to dorm residents and fraternity members, Edwards was a good-looking, fun person who loved athletics, was in the honor society, and hoped someday to be a chemical engineer.

"He never said anything negative,” said Kevin McCord, a fellow dorm resident. “He was the kind of guy you would want your sister to date."

News of the arrests brought little comfort to the fraternity.

"We are pleased that they have been caught but hope that they seek the death penalty," Tal Heath, president of the fraternity's FSU chapter said at the time. "I would not want to keep those prisoners any longer. The death penalty would keep them from doing this to someone else ever again."

News Director Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com . Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Gov. DeSantis signs death warrant in 1994 murder of FSU student