Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizes death penalty for 1994 kidnapping and murder

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a 30-year-old kidnapping and murder case involving a brother and sister.

Loran Kenstley Cole, 57, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old FSU student John Edwards in 1994. 

ESCAPED FLORIDA FELON WHO ALLEGEDLY FAKED INJURY SCREAMS IN AGONY AS K-9 DRAGS HIM FROM HIDING SPOT IN WOODS

Cole was also found guilty of the kidnapping and rape of the FSU student's 21-year-old sister on the very same night in Ocala National Forest.

"Enclosed is the death warrant that I signed to carry out the sentence for Loran Kenstley Cole, as well as certified copies of his judgment and sentence," wrote DeSantis.

JUDGE PERMANENTLY BLOCKS PART OF FLORIDA'S 'STOP WOKE ACT' AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL ON FIRST AMENDMENT GROUNDS

"I have been advised that you have set the date and time of execution for Thursday, August 29 at 6:00 p.m.," the governor added.

The execution will be the first in Florida since last August, when Governor DeSantis signed the death warrant of Michael Duane Zack, 54, for murdering two women in 1996.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Florida administers executions through lethal injection, with those sentenced generally dying from pulmonary edema.

Clashes break out in English town after murder of 3 girls in mass stabbing, 17-year-old male facing charges

The English town of Southport was the scene of clashes between protesters and police the day after the death of at least three girls in a mass stabbing inflicted by an unnamed 17-year-old male.

At least one police van has been set ablaze by the crowds in Southport, which is north of Liverpool. A source describes the town as "quiet."

While plenty of conjecture has been offered online as to the identity of the attacker and his family, both the AP and the Sun report that the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales.

TAYLOR SWIFT 'COMPLETELY IN SHOCK' AFTER THIRD CHILD DEAD IN UK DANCE CLASS STABBING

Merseyside Police have overseen the investigation thus far. Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, are the identified victims. Ten more remain hospitalized since the attack.

"There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets," Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss with the Merseyside Police said to the Associated Press. 

"We have already said that the person arrested was born in the U.K. and speculation helps nobody at this time."

The Sun reported that the parents of the suspected attacker, born in 2006, moved to the United Kingdom from Rwanda.

BRITISH PRISON REFORM WILL RELEASE CONVICTS AFTER SERVING 40% OF TERM TO COMBAT OVERCROWDING: REPORTS 

A neighbor of the family described them to the Sun as Christians, "very normal," and having a "hard-working father and stay-at-home mother."

Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage took to social media earlier today in a video statement, positing, "I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us. I don't know the answer to that, but I think it is a fair and legitimate question."

"What I do know is something is going horribly wrong in our once beautiful country."

It is unclear what punishments protesters may face. Police vans and garbage bins have been set ablaze in the melee.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The mass stabbing and potential suspect are part of an active investigation.

Fox News' Ian Leonard contributed to this article.

About Us

Virtus (virtue, valor, excellence, courage, character, and worth)

Vincit (conquers, triumphs, and wins)