Debra Cole has filed a lawsuit claiming that her husband's killer received ongoing financial and emotional support from his father despite known mental health issues and violent tendencies.
Bradley Cole, 69, was beaten to death in May 2024 at the Ashley Inn & Suites in Lincoln City, Oregon, while on an anniversary trip with his wife. The attack occurred after Roland Stephen Evans-Freke, 30, demanded Cole's dog and then punched, kicked, and kneed him for several minutes before taking the animal.
The complaint alleges that Roland's father, Stephen Evans-Freke, a retired Wall Street banker living in Ireland, provided lodging, money, and other support even as his son's mental health worsened. It claims Stephen arranged boxing training for Roland with world champion Julian Jackson and later at Gleason's Boxing Gym in Brooklyn, despite awareness of his son's "violent propensities and florid psychosis."
Roland Evans-Freke has been charged with murder, assault, and robbery. He pleaded not guilty, was found fit for trial after treatment at the Oregon State Hospital, and is scheduled to face trial in April 2027. The hotel reached a settlement with Debra Cole last week.