Florida Pushes to Execute Man With Parkinson's

Attorneys for the state of Florida argued on Tuesday that the execution of Loran Cole, who has Parkinson's symptoms, should proceed regardless of his appeal to the US Supreme Court. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody contended that Cole delayed too long in challenging lethal injection procedures; Cole says the drugs used by Florida are likely to "cause him needless pain and suffering" because of his symptoms. Cole, convicted in 1994 of kidnapping, rape, and murder, is scheduled for execution on Thursday at 6pm at Florida State Prison, following Gov. Ron DeSantis' signing of the death warrant in July.

"Cole knew for at least seven years that he was suffering symptoms of Parkinson's disease but delayed bringing any claim challenging lethal injection as applied to him until his death warrant was signed. Nothing prevented him from doing so," Moody's office said in a court filing Tuesday. Cole's attorneys also claim that his involuntary movements will interfere with the insertion of the intravenous lines needed. They argue that withholding a hearing violates Cole's 14th Amendment rights. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)