Cole Goldberg walked out of a West Palm Beach courtroom acquitted after a judge cited too much inconsistency in witness testimony.
Cole Goldberg, the ex-boyfriend of 90 Day Fiancé figure Caroline Schwitzky, was acquitted of attempted second-degree murder and domestic battery on March 12 after a three-day bench trial in West Palm Beach, Florida. Judge John Parnofiello ruled there was too much inconsistency in witness testimony to support a conviction. Goldberg had rejected a plea deal that would have required six months in jail, three years probation, and a 500-word apology letter.
Schwitzky isn't a household name from the main cast, but 90 Day viewers who watched Paola Mayfield's storyline closely will recognize her. She appeared in Seasons 1 and 2 of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? as Paola's talent agent and played a direct role in convincing Paola and her husband Russ Mayfield to uproot their lives in Oklahoma and move to Florida so Paola could pursue her modeling career. That storyline caused a lot of friction" of "started real fights between Paola and Russ, with Russ openly skeptical of the move and Russ wasn't happy about it.
The charges against Goldberg stemmed from an incident on April 24, 2022, at Boca Bash, an annual boat party held on Lake Boca Raton. Goldberg faced the attempted murder charge over what prosecutors alleged was an underwater hold on Schwitzky. His defense countered that he entered the water to stop her from being struck by a boat.
The inconsistency in witness accounts was significant enough to decide the case on its own. Testimony about the duration of the alleged underwater hold ranged wildly, from 4 seconds to 50 seconds, a gap Judge Parnofiello found created enough reasonable doubt to acquit. It was a bench trial, meaning the judge alone decided the outcome rather than a jury.
Goldberg's decision to turn down the plea deal and take the case to trial paid off. The offer on the table was relatively modest for an attempted murder charge, but he held out, and the judge sided with him. Following the acquittal, Goldberg planned to return to law school in South Florida.
Schwitzky was never on the show herself, but her role in the Mayfield storyline but 90 Day fans knew exactly who she was. Paola's modeling ambitions and the Florida move were kept causing problems season after season, and Schwitzky was at the center of that push.
The 2022 incident happened four years ago, and the case went through the courts before landing in a West Palm Beach courtroom this month. Whether Schwitzky responds publicly to the verdict is still an open question.