Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizes death penalty for 1994 kidnapping and murder

57-year-old Loran Kenstley Cole has been sentenced to death for the 1994 murder of John Edwards by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis via lethal injection.

Jul 31, 2024 - 07:21
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizes death penalty for 1994 kidnapping and murder

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a 30-year-old kidnapping and murder case involving a brother and sister.

Loran Kenstley Cole, 57, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old FSU student John Edwards in 1994. 

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Cole was also found guilty of the kidnapping and rape of the FSU student's 21-year-old sister on the very same night in Ocala National Forest.

"Enclosed is the death warrant that I signed to carry out the sentence for Loran Kenstley Cole, as well as certified copies of his judgment and sentence," wrote DeSantis.

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"I have been advised that you have set the date and time of execution for Thursday, August 29 at 6:00 p.m.," the governor added.

The execution will be the first in Florida since last August, when Governor DeSantis signed the death warrant of Michael Duane Zack, 54, for murdering two women in 1996.

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Florida administers executions through lethal injection, with those sentenced generally dying from pulmonary edema.