Florida has scheduled Loran Cole's execution for August 29, 2024 for the 1994 murder of John Edwards.

From Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

We cannot separate the tortured and traumatized child from the man who harmed them. From June 1, 1984 through November 14, 1984, 17-year-old Loran Cole was housed at the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School in Marianna, Florida. The neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and trauma he experienced there changed the entire trajectory of his life, and led to the commission of this crime. As Mr. Cole’s attorneys aptly wrote, “That horrible place helped create the Loran Cole who sits on death row today."

We firmly believe that Loran should be separated from society and held accountable for his actions, which life without the possibility of parole satisfies.

By commuting Loran Cole's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole, you will send a message that the State of Florida does not need the death penalty to be safer, and that it only serves to perpetuate the cycle of violence.

Florida's return to executions in 2023, after more than three years of not pursuing them, marks the state as an outlier in its use of the death penalty. The majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions. Please sign the petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Board of Executive Clemency to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.