Cole Goldberg, the ex-boyfriend of 90 Day Fiancé star Caroline Schwitzky, has been found not guilty of attempted murder.
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The verdict was delivered yesterday, March 12, by Circuit Judge John Parnofiello in West Palm Beach, Florida. Goldberg was also charged with domestic battery, as reported by Page Six.
"I do not find, based on the record, that the evidence supports any of these ailments beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, the verdict must be not guilty," said Parnofiello.
Goldberg Says He Doesn't Resent the "90 Day Fiancé" Star
After the verdict was given, Goldberg told reporters, "I'm so glad the truth finally came out. I've been dealing with this since 2022, so it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. There's no resentment with Caroline, I just can't believe she would ever think I could do something like that."
"We are all relieved and grateful that this four-year ordeal is over," added Goldberg's attorneys Heidi Perlet and Marc Shiner. "We had every confidence in Judge Parnofiello's ability to be fair to both sides of the aisle and to follow the law. Despite being a young judge, his sense of fairness, intelligence and reputation for following the law is undisputed."
Goldberg says he plans to return to South Florida and go back to law school.
What Does Caroline Schwitzky Think of the Verdict?
Schwitzky told reporters that she is still processing the judge's ruling. However, the TLC reality show star promised she would eventually talk about the verdict.
Goldberg was arrested in 2022 after allegedly trying to strangle and drown Schwitzky.
During the trial, his attorneys argued that their client had no intention of harming Schwitzky. They explained he was swimming in a strong current and became disoriented, which led Goldberg to grab Schwitzky by her shoulder to stop himself from drowning.
Goldberg was offered a plea deal that would have had him serve a six-month jail sentence. He opted to plead his case before a judge instead.
Schwitzky shared her version of events in over two days of testimony. She said she went into the water to escape a drunken fight with Goldberg.
According to Schwitzky's testimony, Goldberg started the fight when he became upset about throwing a football with another man on a boat. Later that day, he allegedly hit her in the face with a canned drink. He then laughed at her when she yelled at him for it.
After following her around the boat, Goldberg allegedly threw Schwitzky to the floor of the boat and bit her. She then tried to swim to another boat. He swam after her and grabbed her.
"The last thing on my mind was thinking it was Cole," testified the 90 Day Fiancé star. "But then when I was under the water, and I looked in front of me, I saw Cole's body, his shoulders."
A man named Matt Paris broke things up.
