๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
- Austin
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ , ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ . ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
On May 24, 2026, officers with the Columbia Police Department responded to a reported disturbance at a hotel in Columbia. According to the probable cause statement, officers contacted the victim, who was crying, shaking, hyperventilating, and repeatedly whispering, โHeโs going to kill me.โ The victim also expressed fear that Drew Patrick Coco would overhear the conversation.
According to the probable cause statement, the body-worn camera recordings showed the victim crying uncontrollably, shaking, hyperventilating, whispering to officers, repeatedly looking toward the hotel room door and appearing afraid that Coco would hear what was being said. The victim repeatedly stated, โHeโs going to kill me.โ
During a follow-up interview, the victim reported that Coco left the hotel in the victimโs vehicle at approximately 9 p.m. on May 24. The victim stated Coco claimed he was going home, but the victim did not know where he actually went. The victim told the detective they believed Coco may have left to obtain or use drugs. The victim stated Coco returned to the hotel at approximately 9:30 p.m. and was โa different person.โ
The victim further reported they had been quietly lying down watching a movie when Coco suddenly pulled them from the bed, punched them in the head and neck with closed fists, grabbed them by the neck, pulled their hair and threw them backward. The victim stated they attempted to defend themself by kicking before Coco picked them up, forced them into another room, and ordered her to โGet in there.โ
The victim reported that Coco placed his hand over their mouth and said, โI donโt want to even hear you breathe.โ The victim stated they had difficulty breathing and could only breathe โkind ofโ through their nose because Cocoโs hand completely covered their mouth. The victim further reported that Coco took their cellular telephone, unplugged all hotel room telephones, and repeatedly ordered them to remain quiet, preventing them from calling for help.
The victim stated Coco used a pillow against their face, โso [he] didnโt make marks,โ while positioning himself on top of them. The victim reported the assault occurred in intervals over approximately two hours, with Coco briefly falling asleep or passing out before waking and resuming the assault. The victim stated they remained still and silently prayed they would live through the incident because they believed any movement or sound would cause Coco to assault them again.
The victim reported that Coco kneed them in the abdomen, causing severe pain and taking their breath away. The victim further stated Coco said he โshould have killed [them] a long time agoโ and threatened to throw them from the hotel window. The victim also told the detective that Coco said he wanted to โwatch my head bust like a watermelon.โ The victim stated they believed Coco intended to carry out the threats and feared they were going to die. When asked how they felt during the assault, the victim stated, โI didnโt think I was going to live.โ
During the interview, the detective completed a strangulation assessment. The victim demonstrated how Coco allegedly covered their mouth with his hand and repeatedly pressed a pillow over their face. The victim stated they could breathe through their nose only โkind ofโ while Cocoโs hand covered their mouth and confirmed it was difficult to breathe. When asked whether they believed Coco was trying to keep them quiet or suffocate them, the victim answered, โBoth.โ The victim further stated that while the pillow was over their face, they could not get enough air, โstarted seeing starsโ and believed they were going to die.
According to the probable cause statement, Coco had been arrested for domestic abuse offenses involving the same victim on May 7, 2026, and again on June 21, 2026. At the time of the June 21 offense, Coco was out on bond in connection with the May 7 incident.
During the May 7thย incident, a caller reported that while inside a building in the 200 block of E. Nifong Drive, she witnessed the victim in the vehicle's front passenger seat attempting to exit. When she did so, Coco grabbed the victim around her neck and dragged her back into the vehicle. The witness stated that as Coco did so, he drove the car away with the passenger door open, with one or both of the victim's feet outside the vehicle at the time. Coco reportedly ripped out a โchunk of [the victimโs] hairโ.
The probable cause statement also notes that Coco had prior arrests for resisting arrest, felony driving while intoxicated, felony leaving the scene of an accident, domestic assault, harassment, and kidnapping in the second degree.
Coco is now charged with domestic assault in the second, third, and fourth degrees.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
