Teen dies defending 5-year-old sister in home invasion, FL cops say. Man sentenced

Miami Herald

08-07-2025

A man accused of fatally stabbing a 15-year-old boy trying to protect his little sister during a home invasion has now been sentenced to death, according to Florida authorities.
After a jury convicted 33-year-old Ryan Cole of first-degree murder, burglary with battery and burglary of a structure, a Charlotte County judge imposed the death penalty on July 7.
Cole's public defender petitioned the judge to override the jury's recommendation of the death penalty, arguing he suffered from substance abuse, schizophrenia and a psychotic disorder, and he was remorseful for the killing of 15-year-old Khyler Edman.
The judge rejected the plea and went with the jury's recommendation.
On Sept. 26, 2019, Cole spent his last $40 on heroin and methamphetamine, injected the drugs and broke into a Port Charlotte home where Khyler Edman was home alone with his 5-year-old sister, according to prosecutors and deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
The kids' mom told deputies she could monitor her children through a home surveillance system while she was at work, and that day, she saw on Facebook that there were alerts of someone suspicious in the area, according to the arrest affidavit.
The mom tried to reach her kids several times through the surveillance system before her 5-year-old daughter appeared in the camera frame and said her brother was dead and they needed an ambulance, deputies said.
Investigators said they pieced together from interviews and surveillance footage that Cole walked up to the family's home and tried to pry open the door, commenting that it seemed to be 'reinforced,' deputies wrote in the affidavit.
According to investigators, he walked away and grabbed a tool before eventually breaking in through another door as the 15-year-old armed himself with a knife from the kitchen, his sister told investigators. The two started fighting, then Cole got his hands on the knife and stabbed the 15-year-old in the chest and stomach before leaving him to die on the living room floor, authorities said.
Before Edman's death was discovered, a woman called 911 to report there was a bleeding man armed with a large knife in her car port, according to deputies. Investigators said they learned Cole jumped in a canal and broke into another home, stole a child's boxing glove and was discovered by the homeowner in the backyard.
Deputies who responded to the area heard a woman screaming, and they found Edman's mom.
'I yelled please help. Somebody killed my son,' his mother said during testimony broadcast by WBBH.
The teen died of four stab wounds to his torso, according to the autopsy.
After Cole was released from the hospital and booked in jail, he told investigators he doesn't remember what happened that day after doing the drugs, deputies said.
In a sentencing memorandum asking the judge for mercy, Cole's attorney argued he was under the influence of drugs and was experiencing psychosis during the incident.
Cole said during a statement in court that he thinks about his actions every day.
'As we have said through my trial, I am responsible, and I own that,' he said. 'There is no doubt that I am sincerely sorry for what happened. I truly, truly am. And I hope the family of this young man can find it in their hearts one day to forgive me for this tragedy.'
Edman was passionate about the outdoors and was a student in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at his high school, family wrote in his obituary.
'Khyler Edman was a kind, intelligent and caring young man who deeply loved his family and life,' his aunt said in court, according to broadcast from WINK.
His family said the teen enjoyed fishing, going to the beach, riding bumper cars and going on bike rides with friends.
'Mostly, he is known for his unselfishness, always putting others before himself,' family wrote in his obituary. 'Khyler will always hold the title of an awesome big brother to his siblings, especially his sister. He was kind, caring, loving, and will be missed by many.'
Port Charlotte is on Florida's Gulf Coast, about a 30-mile drive northwest from Fort Myers.