Loran Cole executed in murder of Florida State University student whose sister was raped

Florida executed Loran Cole on Thursday in the 1994 murder of an 18-year-old college student whose big sister was raped during what started as a fun camping weekend and became a family's worst nightmare.

Cole, 57, was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, about 40 miles southwest of Jacksonville. It marked Florida's first execution of the year and the 13th in the nation.

Cole was convicted in the 1994 slaying of Florida State University student John Edwards and the sexual assault of his older sister in the Ocala National Forest, about 70 miles northwest of Orlando.

Witnesses who watched the executed included guards, the Florida Department of Corrections Department communications staff members, and seven journalists, including one from the Tallahassee Democrat , part of the USA TODAY Network.

Here's what you need to know about Cole's execution, including his last meal:

Last meal: Pizza, M&M'S, ice cream and a soda

On the day of his execution, Cole woke up at 6 a.m., Florida Department of Corrections spokesperson Ted Veerman said. His last meal: pizza, M&M's, ice cream and a soda.

He did not visit with his spiritual adviser, reported the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, but was joined by his 36-year-old son, Ryan Cole , and his pen-pal friend of 4 years, Beth Evans.

Veerman said Cole was offered a sedative, but could not confirm whether he took it.

Cole had no last words before he was executed and a prison doctor declared him dead.

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Family of John Edwards did not attend Cole's execution

Under Florida Department of Corrections guidelines, family members of inmates are not permitted to witness his execution.

None of Edwards' family members attended the execution but his parents, Timothy and Victoria Edwards, released this statement through the Department of Corrections:

"Mr. Cole has been granted 30 years of life in Florida State Prison," they said. During those 30 years, he has been free to read books, study, eat proper meals, sleep in a bed, get medical care, bathe and exercise, receive visitors and to simply exist. This is something he brutally took from our son − life. That cannot be undone."

'Calculated, and particularly hypocritical'

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, a statewide organization working to end the death penalty in Florida, released a statement after Cole's death, saying his execution was hypocritical of the state and its people "deserve better."

"Loran’s execution feels particularly calculated," the statement reads, citing abuse Cole experienced as a student at a notorious, now-shuttered boys school. "Less than a month before the governor chose Loran for execution, he and the Legislature recognized the lifelong and devastating harm the state caused to children who were sentenced to the Dozier School for Boys ... and yet, tonight we executed a Dozier survivor."

The nonprofit went onto say it "tried to take more than 7,000 signed petitions to the governor" but were told "due to construction, there is no way for the public to access the governor’s office."

"Not even a makeshift reception area to allow Floridians’ voices to be heard," the statement continues. "The clemency board was also short-staffed this week, with most of its personnel away at a conference. A selection process shrouded in secrecy. No way for the public to make its voice heard. Key officials unavailable the week we are killing a human being. This is no system of orderly justice."

More about what Loran Cole was convicted of

On. Feb, 18, 1994, the Edwards siblings were setting up camp when they met Cole, then 27, and another man, William Paul, then 20. Cole introduced himself as "Kevin" and Paul as his "brother" and helped them finish setting up their site.

That night, the Edwardses set off to visit a pond to take photos of alligators with the men. They never made it.

Before reaching the pond, court records say, Cole jumped Edwards’ 21-year-old sister and handcuffed her. Her brother tried to intervene but was subdued by both men.

Paul took the woman farther up the path and Cole stayed behind with John Edwards, who died from a slashed throat and multiple skull fractures. Edwards’ sister was raped and tied between two trees the next morning before freeing herself. A driver found her and called 911. Law enforcement found Edwards' body covered with pine needles, sand, and palm fronds.

Three days later, police arrested Cole and Paul.

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 convicted of two counts of sexual battery, was sentenced to death. Paul pleaded guilty to his felony charges and was sentenced to life. He remains incarcerated in Florida.

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'Praying for a miracle'

Ten days before his execution, Cole's 36-year-old son, whom he shares with Colleen Kucler of Indiana, visited the prisoner on death row with his mother.

"Visiting with him today made me remember all the reasons I was attracted to him. He could charm a wall if he wanted to," Kucler told USA TODAY last week.

Kulcer said Cole always told her he didn't kill Edwards, and was "praying for a miracle" in his case.

Cole's appeals over the years

Over the years, Cole filed more than a dozen appeals in his case.

"He maintains that he did not kill Edwards and that the murder weapon was found with Paul’s possessions and with his fingerprints on it," Gerod Hooper, the chief assistant at the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel , told USA TODAY. The state agency represents indigent Florida death row inmates.

His defense attorneys contended that Cole's life should be spared because of "horrific abuse" he suffered at a the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a state-run school run by the state in Marianna, an hour west of Tallahassee.

His attorneys also argued lethal-injection would cause "needless pain and suffering" because of Cole's symptoms from Parkinson’s disease, which he has had since 2017, and causes his arms and legs to shake.

On Thursday just about 30 minutes before the scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from Cole's attorneys to stop his execution, Hooper told USA TODAY. The Florida Supreme Court unanimously rejected a similar appeal last week.

Cole's lethal injection marked the seventh time Florida executed a man since Aug. 8, 2019. The most recent execution in The Sunshine State took place in October when the state executed Michael Zach for a woman 's 1996 slaying.

Cole's death also marked Florida's 106th execution since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 and executions resumed in the state in 1979.

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Lee County Florida man sentenced to death two days earlier

Two days before Cole was executed, a Florida judge sentenced 30-year-old Wade Wilson to death in the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.

Those sentenced to death in Florida may choose between two execution methods. By default, the inmates are executed by lethal injection, but the condemned can choose death by electrocution.

If the Florida Supreme Court affirms Wilson's conviction, he'll have 30 days to decide which method.

Contributing: Elena Barrera

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Loran Cole executed in murder of Florida State University student whose sister was raped