Death Row Killer Who Murdered Students Utters Two Emotionless Final Words

 In a case that has haunted Florida for nearly three decades, Loran Cole, a convicted murderer and rapist, has finally met his end at Florida State Prison.

The 57-year-old inmate was executed by lethal injection after a last-minute bid to delay the inevitable fell on deaf ears.

His crime? The brutal murder of an 18-year-old college freshman and the horrifying rape of his sister in the depths of Ocala National Forest.

The gruesome events that led to Cole’s death sentence began on a seemingly ordinary camping trip.

It was a chilling November night in 1994 when two college students, eager for adventure, found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 The siblings, a Florida State University student and his 21-year-old sister from Eckerd College, were enjoying the serene wilderness of Ocala National Forest. 

But their peaceful outing took a dark turn when they crossed paths with Loran Cole and his accomplice, William Paul. 

The pair, posing as friendly campers, struck up a conversation around a campfire, weaving a web of deceit that would soon unravel into a night of terror.

With the promise of showing the students a nearby pond, Cole and Paul lured them away from the safety of their campsite. 

 Once isolated, the true horror began. 

The 18-year-old brother was the first to face the wrath of Cole and Paul.

He was savagely beaten, his throat cruelly slit, and left to die alone in the wilderness. 

The sister’s ordeal was far from over.

She was dragged back to the campsite, where Cole subjected her to a brutal sexual assault that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

 But who was Loran Cole? 

 How did a young boy from Michigan become a name synonymous with one of Florida’s most horrific crimes? 

Born in 1967, Cole’s early life was a cocktail of abuse, neglect, and hardship. 

The sad truth…

 He was one of many boys sent to the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a notorious reform school in Marianna, Florida. 

The school, which operated for over a century, was infamous for its brutal treatment of the boys in its care.

Cole and others were subjected to severe beatings, solitary confinement, and sexual abuse.

The horrors Cole endured at Dozier shaped his path, contributing to the violent tendencies that would later surface.

Decades after his time at the school, the state of Florida issued a formal apology and authorized reparations for the abuse victims, but for Cole, the damage had long been done.

 Despite these dark beginnings, Cole’s defense team could not convince the courts that his past warranted mercy. 

 They argued that his time at Dozier, coupled with brain damage, mental illness, and Parkinson’s disease, should have spared him the death penalty.

But the state Supreme Court dismissed these arguments, deeming Cole’s crimes too heinous to overlook.

Governor Ron DeSantis, known for his tough-on-crime stance, signed Cole’s death warrant last month, setting the final stage for his execution.

As the sun set on Florida State Prison, Cole was led to the execution chamber, where he offered no final words, only a curt “no, sir” when asked if he had any last statements.

The silence was deafening as the lethal injection process began, a three-drug cocktail that would end Cole’s life.

The silence was deafening as the lethal injection process began, a three-drug cocktail that would end Cole’s life.

First, Etomidate, a sedative, was administered, followed by Rocuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, and finally, Potassium acetate to stop his heart.

At 6:15 p.m., a prison doctor declared Cole dead, closing the final chapter of a life steeped in violence and tragedy.

The execution was the 106th in Florida since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and the first since Michael Zack’s execution in October for another brutal murder. 

While the execution brings some closure to the victims’ families, the horror of that night in Ocala National Forest remains etched in the memories of those who lived through it.

The sister, who survived the ordeal, was left tied to a tree overnight and suffered another assault the following day before managing to free herself. 

Miraculously, she flagged down a passing motorist and alerted authorities. 

Her brother’s lifeless body was later discovered, face down in the dirt, a tragic testament to the night’s unspeakable violence.

William Paul, Cole’s partner in crime, was also convicted of first-degree murder but received a life sentence.

As Cole’s lifeless body was wheeled out of the execution chamber, the stark reality of his crimes lingered in the air—a reminder that justice, no matter how delayed, ultimately prevails. 

For the victims and their families, Cole’s execution may not erase the pain, but it serves as a grim closure to a nightmare that began nearly 30 years ago.

The story of Loran Cole is a haunting reminder of the evil that can lurk behind even the most seemingly benign encounters.

As the state of Florida continues to grapple with the legacy of its troubled past, Cole’s case underscores the enduring impact of abuse and neglect on those who fall through the cracks of society.

In the end, Cole’s death, much like his life, was marked by silence and solitude—a fitting conclusion for a man whose crimes will not be forgotten.