Florida Governor DeSantis Signs Death Sentence for Murder of FSU Student

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Governor 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 scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 29.

The governor had not signed a death sentence since last August, when he ordered the execution of Michael Duane Zack, 54, for the 1996 murders of two women in northwest Florida. Before Zack, five long-term Florida inmates died by lethal injection in February, April, May, June and August.

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

On Friday, February 18, 1994, Cole, then 27, and William Paul, then 20, befriended brother and sister Pam and John Edwards, who were planning a weekend camping trip 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 met them briefly as the Edwardses were setting up camp, introduced himself as “Kevin” and helped them set up the rest of their site. After finishing their meal, Cole and Paul returned to the siblings’ campsite and the four of them decided to walk to a nearby pond around 10:45 p.m. to take pictures of alligators.

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

Paul took Pam Edwards up the trail, while Cole stayed behind with John Edwards, who died that night from a slit throat and three blows to the head that fractured his skull.

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

On Sunday, Pam Edwards was able to free herself by chewing through the rope. She searched for her brother but could not find him. She then flagged down a motorist who took her to call 911. John Edwards’ body was found by police officers later that day.

“The men who committed these crimes are damned animals,” said Ken Ergle, then-Marion County sheriff.

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 was also convicted of two counts of sexual abuse. Paul was sentenced to life in prison and Cole was sentenced to death.

Over the years, Cole has challenged his conviction at least a dozen times, filing motions to vacate his sentence or writs of habeas corpus (wrongful imprisonment), according to a 2018 article in the Star-Banner. All attempts were rejected, either in the district court or by the Florida Supreme Court.

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

Documents show that as a minor he was sent to the now-closed Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, which became notorious for the 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 mitigation.

Paul, who has denied multiple charges in the case, is serving a life sentence at Cross City Correctional Institution, prison records show.

Edwards was the brother of Phi Gamma Delta

A February 21, 1994, Tallahassee Democrat article described the reaction of Edwards’ friends and fellow students at the time.

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

None of them were prepared for the six o’clock news, when they heard that Edwards had been beaten to death while camping with his sister.

“We were in shock,” Chris Spiers said a few hours later, surrounded by about a dozen other grieving fraternity brothers. Some wore black armbands, one had tears streaming down his face. “We’re basically still in shock.”

Edwards, who attended high school in Japan, did not live in the fraternity house, but in a third-floor room in nearby Landis Hall.

Students there also only heard about the murder on the evening news. Within half an hour, the Florida State University resident-hall coordinators and counselors were meeting in the dormitory to talk about what had happened and to provide guidance to anyone who needed it.

According to residents of the dorm and members of the fraternity, Edwards was a handsome, fun man who enjoyed athletics, was a member of the fraternity and hoped to one day become a chemical engineer.

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

The news of the arrests offered little comfort to the student association.

“We’re glad they got caught, but we hope they seek the death penalty,” Tal Heath, president of the fraternity’s FSU chapter, said at the time. “I wouldn’t want to hold those prisoners any longer. The death penalty would stop them from ever doing this to anyone else.”

News Director Jim Rosica can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL.

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