PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla -- Monday, the man charged with stabbing a Port Charlotte teen to death is due back in court.
An arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 am Monday for Ryan Cole, who deputies say killed Khyler Edman in September.
Cole made his first appearance on first degree murder charges over the weekend, after the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and State Attorney’s Office announced the upgraded charges Friday. He was originally charged with second degree murder last month.
Fox 4 has been covering every angle of this story, since the initial murder investigation. You may recall, deputies spent five weeks collecting, analyzing and processing evidence before any charges were filed, with Sheriff Bill Prummel saying they wanted to make sure they'd be able to build a strong case against Cole.
The victim, Khyler Edman, is the teenager who died a hero protecting his little sister during a home invasion in September.
When deputies and the state attorney announced Cole's new charges, they said their work is far from over to make sure justice is served.
"Our work's not done. We need to work towards the prosecution to assure that Cole does not see the light of day again. Whether life or death his freedom needs to be revoked permanently so he cannot hurt any poor innocent soul," said Sheriff Bill Prummel.
Cole is also facing battery and burglary charges in this case.
