Mugshot/Facebook (Randall Cooke) Oscar Solis (l) and Randall Cooke and his wife (r).
Oscar Solis is a parolee and accused MS-13 gang member who murdered Uber Eats driver Randall Cooke in Florida, according to the Pasco County sheriff.
“Pasco Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Oscar Adrian Solis for a homicide committed during a robbery,” an April 25, 2023, news release from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office says.
The sheriff, Chris Nocco, described Solis in a news conference as “demonic” and said he was “affiliated with MS-13 from Indiana.”
Solis killed Cooke “for no reason,” Nocco said in the news conference. He said Solis “yanked him in and killed him,” and the victim could have been anybody.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Oscar Solis Murdered Randall Cooke When Cooke Came to His Home to Drop Off Food, the Sheriff Says
According to the Sheriff’s press release, Cooke “was working as a delivery driver for Uber Eats on April 19,” when he “arrived at Solis’s Moog Rd. home in Holiday just before 7 p.m. to drop off food ordered by Solis’s father for Solis.”
Cooke’s Facebook page says he was also a freelance graphic designer and video editor.
Solis “then attempted to rob the victim and ultimately killed him. No other individuals were at Solis’s home at the time of the murder. The victim and Solis did not know each other,” the release says.
“PSO was originally called to investigate a body that was discovered in the Moog Rd. area on Friday, April 21 just after noon. Initially, no cause of death or identification of the body could be determined,” according to the news release.
“Through further investigation, and in working with the Pasco-Pinellas Medical Examiner, both identification and cause of death were determined over the weekend, and the case was ruled a homicide at that point. Investigators have determined that Solis pulled the victim into his home and attempted to rob him. This was captured on Solis’s home surveillance. After that, Solis murdered the victim and attempted to conceal the victim’s remains,” the news release says.
2. Oscar Solis Has a Long Criminal History in Indiana & Was Released From Prison in January 2023
Oscar Solis Jr., 30, faces charges of murder while engaged in a robbery, failure to register as a convicted felon and for a parole violation, jail records show.
Florida Uber Eats driver killed while making delivery: t.co/0btIAKA2oI
According to the Sheriff’s news release, “the adult male victim was the subject of a missing persons case that was reported to PSO on April 19.”
Solis “has a long criminal history in Indiana, and was just released from an Indiana prison in January 2023 following an over four year sentence for assault and burglary. Prior to this incident, Solis had no criminal history in Florida,” the release says.
“PSO continues to investigate this case to bring justice to the victim’s family,” it adds.
Solis was on parole and had just moved to Florida and was a “very violent individual,” Nocco said in the news conference.
Nocco said Solis’s past criminal history includes charges of battery, burglary, possession of stolen auto parts, drugs, aggravated battery, and battery on detention staff. The sheriff said Solis was accused of stabbing a person in an Indiana prison.
The sheriff described Solis as a “very violent individual that Indiana released, and he came down to florida.”
3. Randall Cooke’s Death Has Rocked His Children’s Lives
Ginger Alansky wrote on Facebook, “I’m asking that Randall and our children Sierra Alansky Cooke, Sterling Cooke, and Saige Cooke are in your prayers for the tragic loss of their father.”
She added, “All the coverage and interviews of the case have NOT included them at all. It as if they didn’t exist in his life. This is unsettling and upsetting.”
She wrote of one of their daughters, “I’m most worried for her. She is graduating high school in a month and I can’t even imagine what that will feel like because her dad can not attend, he will be there in spirit.”
4. Randall Cooke’s Wife Called Him Hardworking & Loving
On April 20, Brittany Dzoba wrote on Facebook, “Please help us find my step dad! This a Randall Cooke and also a pic of what him and my mom’s car look like UberEats. last place he did an Uber eats order and shortly after both his phones were turned off and no one has heard or seen him! 😭 Please help my mom Kathy L Cooke find him!”
She also shared a message from her mother:
Hello, my name is Kathy Cooke and I am the wife of Randall Cooke. I am currently faced with something no wife should ever have to go through. On Wednesday evening at approximately 6:40 PM my husband Randall was doing his last Uber Eats delivery prior to coming home for the evening and went missing. He was roughly 4 miles from the house and called me right before his last drop off to let me know where he was and that he would be home shortly after. This was something Randy always did to let me know he was safe and on his way home. I was waiting for him to get home as I always did but as the time passed and my husband did not return home, I realized that something was wrong. I called both of his cell phones multiple times in order to get in contact with him but they both were turned off and I never heard back from him. Later in the evening I informed Pasco County Police of Randy’s disappearance and they began their search. Currently he has been missing for 2 days and the only lead we have is that the detective has found the car, but no sign of my husband.
As you can imagine the devastation not only myself, but my family are facing right now is unfathomable. Randy is a stepdad to both my daughters as well as a father too two daughters and a son. Randy was a hardworking, loving, kind and caring man who cared deeply about his family and friends. The thought of him not being in our lives is something that I cannot imagine, nor will I give up trying until my husband is found.
I am never one to ask for help, but with the situation that I am currently in I must reach out to our community for assistance. Randy was a provider for our family, he was the ideal husband and man and always made sure that he took care of us. Without Randy I am not sure where to even start let alone how I am going to be able to afford our home, car, insurance or even to live. I am reaching out for any financial help through this situation to ease some of the stress that has come along with all that is going on right now. If you or your loved ones could please help me through this tough time in order to help me get back on my feet that would be greatly appreciated. Any amount will not go unnoticed or unused and I thank everyone in advance for their continued support and love.
A GoFundMe page is raising money for Cooke’s family.
“Hello our names are Kiley and Sara we have such heavy hearts That we have to write this our friend Brittany Dzoba and her Family received news that their beloved stepdad/husband Randall Cooke was found murdered on his last Uber eats run,” it reads.
Oscar Solis is accused of taking “the life of someone so giving and had a heart of gold,” the page says.
“At this time we ask if everyone could please keep Brittany and Melany and Kathy in your thoughts and prayers as their family focus on this most difficult time. Thank you to everyone that reached out to check on them, if anyone could please help donate any amount will help. Randall was the main source of income for Brittany’s mom so if we all could help give a little to help with the Funeral expenses and other living expenses. Please help Kathy Cooke so she can grieve the loss of her soulmate Randall and not have to worry about how she is going to make ends meet She would greatly appreciate it thank you.”
5. The Sheriff Described It as a ‘Horrible Scene’
The sheriff, Chris Nocco, said in a news conference that he was not going to describe how “gruesome” the murder was, calling it a “horrible scene” that was “tough” on investigators.
“He was just a guy like everybody else trying to make a living for his family,” the sheriff said.
Cooke dropped his wife off and started doing his deliveries, the sheriff said. “He was right around the corner from their house,” the sheriff said.
Authorities got his last location from GPS, according to Nocco. At first, there was no evidence of anything “going on” at the house, the sheriff said. They went back to the house, however, and made contact with the roommate of the suspect, he said. On video, you “can actually see the victim walking up the house to order food” but the video then cut off, Nocco said.
The following day, on April 20, Solis was seen carrying trash bags with another individual, according to Nocco. They found human remains in the trash bags, Nocco said, adding that authorities recovered Cooke’s wedding ring inside Solis’s home.
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