In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court has denied a last-minute request to stay the execution of Loran Cole, a 57-year-old Florida man with Parkinson's disease. Cole, convicted for the 1994 killing of a Florida State University student, had argued that the lethal injection method would subject him to "needless pain and suffering" due to his medical condition.

Cole's case has gained significant attention due to his claims of abuse suffered at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a notorious reform school. These allegations formed the backdrop for Colson Whitehead's acclaimed novel, "The Nickel Boys," shedding light on the long history of brutality and mistreatment at the institution. Reports of beatings, rape, and forced labor have plagued the school, with former students coming forward over the years to share their harrowing experiences.

Scheduled to be executed at Florida State Prison at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Cole's legal team urged the Supreme Court to intervene, stating that his involuntary body movements caused by Parkinson's would hinder the proper administration of lethal injection. They argued that the placement of the required intravenous lines would be affected, rendering the execution inhumane.

In response, Florida attorney general Ashley Moody filed a brief with the justices, asserting that Cole had raised concerns about his Parkinson's symptoms only recently, after a significant delay. Moody also emphasized that there were no precedents of prisoners with Parkinson's facing execution, highlighting that Florida utilizes restraints during lethal injections to control the movements of prisoners. She deemed Cole's claims speculative and legally insufficient.

While Cole's emergency request did not specifically focus on his experiences at the Dozier School, he referenced his time there in his legal filings. His legal team described the treatment he endured as a teenager as "torturous," arguing that his punishment should be mitigated due to the abuse he suffered. They contended that his traumatic background influenced his behavior and could have impacted the jury's decision on whether to hand down the death penalty.

The attorneys pointed to a recently enacted law designed to compensate victims of the Dozier School as evidence of the state's acknowledgement of the abuses committed at the institution. They suggested that had the jurors been aware of Cole's experiences at Dozier, they may have opted against the death penalty.

With the Supreme Court's rejection of the appeal, Cole's execution is set to proceed as scheduled, prompting further debate about the implications of executing prisoners with debilitating medical conditions. The case has sparked conversations about the intersection of justice, human rights, and the treatment of prisoners in the United States.