A Florida Guy Who Was Involved in a Killing and Rape in a National Forest in 1994 Will Be Put to Death in August

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Next month, a Florida man will be put to death for kidnapping his sister while they were camping in a national park in 1994, raping her, and then killing their brother.

Loran Cole was given a death sentence by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. Cole will be put to death at Florida State Prison on August 28 by fatal injection. He is 57 years old.

As the two college students camped in the Ocala National Forest, Cole and a friend named William Paul became friendly with them. The guys offered to take the siblings to see a pond after they had talked around a fire. A court record says that Cole and Paul jumped the victims and stole from them while they were away from the campsite.

The 18-year-old boy was hit and left in the woods. Cole tied up his 21-year-old sister and raped her when they got back to the pitch. She was able to get away in the end and call for help from a driver. Court records show that police found her brother’s body face down on the ground with a cut-throat and some damage to his head.

Cole and Paul were found guilty of first-degree murder. Paul was locked up for life. Cole was given the death penalty because he was found guilty of two counts of rape.

Michael Zack was put to death last October for killing Ravonne Smith in 1996. This would be the first execution in Florida since then.