Cole Warrant: Florida Supreme Court appeal pending
Litigation surrounding Loran Cole's scheduled execution has reached the Florida Supreme Court.
Gov. DeSantis has issued a warrant for Loran Cole’s execution, which has been scheduled for August 29 at 6:00 p.m.
Shortly after Gov. DeSantis signed the warrant, Cole, through his attorneys, filed a successive motion for postconviction relief in the circuit court. (The Motion is covered here.) The court decided to not hold an evidentiary hearing on Cole’s claims.
Last week, the circuit court issued an Order summarily denying Cole’s claims. (The Order is covered here.)
On Monday, Cole, through his attorneys filed a Notice of Appeal at the Florida Supreme Court. Yesterday, Cole filed his Initial Brief.
Cole’s Initial Brief
In the 88-page Brief filed Monday, Cole presents four issues challenging the circuit court’s Order:
The full Brief can be accessed here.
On Monday, Cole also filed a Motion for Stay of Execution and Relinquishment of Jurisdiction to the State Court. The Motion outlines the short warrant period and asks for relinquishment to the circuit court for an evidentiary hearing on Cole’s claims.
TFDP Prior Coverage of the Cole Warrant
My thoughts are with everyone involved in the warrant and execution process.