An American man who was sentenced to death nearly 30 years ago for raping a young woman and killing her brother in 1994 while the two youths were camping in a forested area in Florida was executed on Thursday.

Laurent Cole, 57, was executed by lethal injection at 18:15 (local time; today 01:15 Greek time) at a prison in the northern part of the peninsula, the state prison service said.

He was sentenced to death in December 1995.

The double crime

Laurent Cole and his accomplice, William Paul, attended to friends of the two victims around a campfire before leading them to a pond and attacking them.

The boy, 18, a college freshman, was murdered — his throat was cut.

His sister, 21, was taken back to the camp, raped and tied to a tree. After they raped her again the next day, she was able to break free and escape.

Although he was also found guilty in the case, William Paul was not sentenced to death, he was given a life sentence.

Suffered from Parkinson’s, lethal injection ‘probably would have caused him pain’

Laurent Cole’s lawyers filed a last-minute High Court appeal to delay the execution. They pointed out that as he suffered from Parkinson’s, the lethal injection would “likely cause him pain”, “cause him to suffer needlessly”, suggesting that he be put to death by firing squad or using the electric chair.

The Supreme Court rejected the request yesterday, clearing the way for its execution, which had already been approved by the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSandis.

This is the 13th execution of a death row in the US this year.

Twenty-three states in the country have abolished the death penalty, while another six have a moratorium.