The Florida Supreme Court has unanimously denied an appeal by Loran Cole, a Death Row inmate convicted of murdering a Florida State University student in 1994.
This decision paves the way for his scheduled execution next week, though last-minute federal court appeals are anticipated.
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Cole’s attorneys had argued that abuse he suffered as a teenager at the notorious Dozier School for Boys contributed to his criminal behavior. They also cited a recent law offering compensation to Dozier victims as new evidence warranting a review of his death sentence.
However, the court rejected these arguments, stating that the law doesn’t constitute new evidence and Cole’s claims about Dozier were raised too late.
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The court also dismissed concerns about Cole’s Parkinson’s disease causing complications during lethal injection, stating that his claims were meritless and filed too late.
Cole’s execution is scheduled for next Thursday. Death penalty opponents argue that the trauma Cole experienced at Dozier should be reconsidered, while the court’s decision brings the state one step closer to carrying out the execution.
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