Florida man who raped a woman and killed her brother in a national forest three decades ago learns his fate

A Florida man convicted of raping a woman and killing her brother in a national forest nearly three decades ago has learned his fate.

Loran Cole, 57, is set to be executed by lethal injection on August 28 at the Florida State Prison after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on Monday.

He had been sentenced to death in 1995, when he was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and sexual battery for the death of John Edwards and the assault of his sister, Pam. 

Cole and his best friend, William Paul, befriended the siblings when they set up their camp at Ocala National Forest on February 18, 1994, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

After the friends ate dinner, they met back up with the siblings - and all four decided to walk to a nearby pond at around 10.45pm to take photos of alligators.

Cole then knocked 21-year-old Pam to the ground and handcuffed her.

When John tried to fight back, both Paul and Cole subdued the brother and threw him on the ground next to his sister, court records show.

Meanwhile, Paul brought Pam back up the path, while Cole stayed behind with her 18-year-old brother - who died later that night from a slashed throat and three blows to the head, which caused his skull to fracture.

He later returned to the campsite, where he threatened to kill Pam if she did not have sex with him.

The next day, Cole raped her again and then gagged her and tied her to a tree before Cole and Paul fled in one of their cars.

By Sunday, Pam was able to free herself by chewing through the rope. 

She looked for her brother, but was unable to find him, then flagged down a motorist who took her to call 911, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. 

'The men who committed these crimes are damnable animals,' then-Marion County Sheriff Ken Ergle said after John's body was found. 

Paul, now 51, pleaded no contest to murder, kidnapping and robbery charges and was sentenced to life in prison.

Cole, who was also convicted of two counts of rape, however, was sentenced to death. 

He has tried for years to get his conviction overturned, but all of his efforts were either denied at the trial court level or at the Florida Supreme Court,  according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

He even tried to take his case to the US Supreme Court in 2007, but his petition was denied.

The Florida Supreme Court has now 'direct[ed] that all further proceedings in this case be expedited.'

A notice of appeal must be filed by 9am on August 12 to stay the execution.

If the execution moves forward, it would be the first in Florida since Michael Zack was put to death last October for the 1996 murder of Ravonne Smith.