Florida man seeks US Supreme Court intervention to halt imminent execution

Loran Cole, a Florida man set to be executed on Thursday, is seeking a delay from the U.S. Supreme Court to allow his challenge to Florida’s lethal injection procedures to be addressed. Scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Florida State Prison, Cole was convicted in 1994 of kidnapping siblings in the Ocala National Forest, raping the sister, and killing the brother.

Cole has raised concerns that his Parkinson’s disease will interact poorly with Florida’s drug cocktail during the execution, potentially causing him excessive pain and suffering. His legal team argues that his Parkinson’s symptoms will impact the placement of intravenous lines necessary for the lethal injection process.

The lack of transparency in Florida’s death penalty procedures has drawn criticism, especially following failed executions in other states. Cole’s attorneys highlighted that other death row inmates with medical conditions were granted hearings to evaluate how their health issues could affect their executions. They claim that denying Cole a similar hearing infringes upon his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law.

In addition to his challenge on lethal injection grounds, Cole also raised concerns about abuse he suffered at a state-run reform school. Despite these arguments, the Florida Supreme Court rejected his appeal on August 23. The case underscores broader debates surrounding capital punishment, the treatment of death row inmates, and the secrecy shrouding execution protocols.