Murder 30 years ago

57-year-old rapist executed in Florida

So far this year, 13 people have been executed in the USA.(Bild: AFP/AFP )

30 years after the murder of a student and the rape of his sister, a 57-year-old man has been executed in Florida. Loran Cole was given lethal injection in Raiford State Prison.

The Supreme Court rejected Cole's request for a stay of the death penalty on health grounds this afternoon.

Woman tied to tree
Cole was sentenced to death in December 1995 after the court found him guilty of murdering an 18-year-old college student in the Ocala National Forest in February 1994. The student was camping there with his sister, who was raped by Cole. He had tied her to a tree, but she was able to free herself the next day. One of Cole's accomplices was sentenced to life imprisonment.

(Bild: AFP)

The Supreme Court did not give reasons for rejecting Cole's application. The 57-year-old had argued that the lethal injection would "very likely cause him unnecessary pain and suffering" due to his Parkinson's disease.

So far this year, 13 people have been executed in the USA. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of 50 states, while six others have permanently suspended the execution of death sentences.