Attorneys for the state of Florida are opposing a delay in the execution of Loran Cole, a man with Parkinson’s symptoms, despite his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the state’s lethal injection procedures. The Florida Attorney General argued that Cole waited too long to raise his claims that the drug cocktail used in the execution could cause him needless pain and suffering due to symptoms from his Parkinson’s disease. Cole, who is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering siblings in 1994.
Cole has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution, citing violations of his 14th Amendment rights. His attorneys argue that his Parkinson’s symptoms will make it impossible for Florida to carry out the execution safely and humanely. Many of Florida’s death penalty procedures are exempt from public records, and botched executions in other states have led to increased scrutiny and difficulties in securing the necessary drugs and staff.
Despite Cole’s claims of suffering abuse at a state-run reform school, the Florida Supreme Court denied his appeal. The case has raised questions about the death penalty and secrecy surrounding execution procedures. The state argues that Cole’s delays in raising concerns about the execution procedures should not prevent his scheduled execution from moving forward.
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