'Come here friend': Man who 'taunted' 15-year-old boy protecting his sister before murdering him receives fate

Khyler Edman and Ryan Cole

Inset: Khyler Edman (Life Celebration Center). background: Ryan Cole during his trial for killing Khyler (WFTX).

A Florida judge on Monday sentenced a man to death for the murder of a 15-year-old boy who was shielding his sister as the man broke into their home.

The judge followed a jury”s recommendation by a 10-2 vote that 33-year-old Ryan Cole be put to death for the 2019 slaying of Khyler Edman at a Port Charlotte home. The jury earlier this year convicted Cole of first-degree murder and burglary.

Prosecutors in a memorandum in support of the death penalty for Cole described how the defendant was out of money and high on heroin and methamphetamine on Sept. 26, 2019, when he decided to burglarize Khyler’s home because he thought there may be drugs or money in the home.

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After using a tool to break into the carport at the home at around 4 p.m., Cole entered the kitchen where he encountered Khyler, who was at home alone with his sister, who was 5 years old at the time, while their mother was at work.

Khyler grabbed a chef’s knife to try to protect himself and his sister. A video clip from home security footage mostly captured audio of what happened next.

“During the six (6) second video clip, a voice can be heard stating ‘Come here friend’ and splatters of blood are seen dropping to the floor,” prosecutors wrote.

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Cole stabbed Khyler four times in the chest and abdomen. The boy died on the floor. His sister was hiding under a bed and was not physically injured. Cops later found Cole nearby, his hand bloodied from apparently grabbing the knife and overpowering Khyler. He claimed not to have remembered the attack.

Prosecutors argued that there were several aggravating factors that supported Cole receiving the death penalty. First, the murder occurred during a burglary. Second, Cole’s actions were “heinous, meaning extremely wicked or shockingly evil.”

“The Defendant’s voice on the video clip inside the kitchen stating, ‘Come here friend,’ is especially wicked and shockingly evil, as the Defendant was taunting a young boy,” prosecutors wrote. “The video documents that the Defendant was chasing [Khyler] inside his own home. Rather than leaving the home when the Defendant realized the home was occupied, the Defendant proceeded to grab the knife and repeatedly stab 15-year-old [Khyler].”

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