Florida Man Executed for 1994 Murder and Rape in National Forest | MADAMNEWS

a Florida Man convicted of murdering a college freshman and raping the victim's older sister while they camped in a national forest three decades ago was executed on Thursday Lauren Cole 57 was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison for the 1994 murder of the 18-year-old student he was also serving two life sentences for rape when asked if he had any last words Cole simply replied no sir the execution began around 6:00 p.m. and Cole briefly looked at a witness before taking deep breaths and trembling slightly 5 minutes into the procedure the warden shook him and called his name after which Cole stopped breathing and was declared dead at 6:15 p.m. according to court records Cole and a friend William Paul befriended the two college students in Okala National Forest they later lured the siblings away from their campsite under the pretense of showing them a pond then attacked and robbed them the 18-year-old brother of Florida State University student was beaten had his throat slit and was left to die in the forest his 21-year-old sister a senior at eard College was taken back to the campsite where Cole raped her and tied her to a tree she eventually freed herself and flagged down help but her brother was found dead both Cole and Paul were convicted of first-degree murder with Paul receiving a life sentence Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Cole's death warrant last month the execution was the first in Florida Florida since Michael Zach was executed in October for a 1996 murder in his final hours Cole was described as compliant and had two visitors including his son the US Supreme Court denied his final appeal earlier that day Cole's lawyers had sought a stay of execution citing his abuse at a state run reform school mental illness brain damage and Parkinson's disease but these arguments were unsuccessful