The widow of an Oregon man who was beaten to death is suing his alleged killer’s business tycoon father.
Bradley Cole, aged 69, passed away in May of the previous year near the Ashley Inn & Suites in Lincoln City following an attack by Roland Evans-Freke, 31, according to police reports.
A lawsuit accessed by Oregon Live, filed by Cole’s widow, Debra, reveals that Evans-Freke allegedly had a history of admissions to psychiatric units.
His father, Stephen Evans-Freke, a former Wall Street investment banker worth $25 million, is named as a defendant in the suit.
The suit alleges that the hotel and Evans-Freke’s father were both negligent in failing to intervene and prevent his ‘worsening violent outbursts’.
The couple had been at the hotel to celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary, with Cole leaving to walk their dog on the grounds, the suit said.
According to the suit Evans-Freke had been outside smoking a cigarette and approached Cole, demanding he hand over the dog.
After refusing, Evans-Freke is accused of punching and kicking Cole for several minutes before making off with the dog.
Bradley Cole, 69, passed away in May of the last year outside the Ashley Inn & Suites in Lincoln City after being attacked by Roland Evans-Freke, as confirmed by the police. Pictured here is Cole with his wife, Debra.
Evans-Freke is said to have had a history of being hospitalized inside psychiatric units
Debra, who was still inside their hotel room at the time, went to investigate after her husband failed to return after 30 minutes, the lawsuit adds.
She claims she then saw their dog with a stranger, identified as Evans-Freke, and asked him why he had the dog.
After he refused to give the dog up she unclipped the dog’s collar from the leash and took the pet back to her room.
Upon going back outside Debra found her husband motionless on the sidewalk with a bloodied face, according to the lawsuit.
She said she pointed the man out to two other people who wrestled Evans-Freke to the ground as she called 911.
The suit adds that two officers struggled to handcuff Evans-Freke and had to use a stun gun on him before taking him into custody.
Court records seen by the outlet also say that Cole had his right ear severed and had stopped breathing as he lay on the ground.
The suit alleges that the hotel and Evans-Freke’s father were both negligent in failing to intervene and prevent his ‘worsening violent outbursts’.
Debra, who was still inside their hotel room at the time, went to investigate after her husband failed to return after 30 minutes
Evans-Freke is seen here alongside his model mother Valerie
It adds that Stephen Evans-Freke had both ‘enabled and encouraged’ his son’s behavior since his early years.
The suit says the elder Evans-Freke had paid to have his son trained by a three-time world boxing champion, despite his son’s history of ‘violent’ behavior.
It is claimed that this behavior extended to an obsession with fighting and martial arts, as well as a collection of knives and guns.
The suit said that Evans-Freke moved to Oregon in 2022 and his father paid for him to live in a hotel after finding out his son was staying in a homeless camp.
Stephen Evans-Freke, seen here, a former Wall Street investment banker worth $25 million, is also named as a defendant in the suit
In December of 2023 his father tried to have him committed to a psychiatric hospital but his petition was denied, the suit adds.
Evans-Freke was then arrested for allegedly trespassing in Lincoln County, and acting in an ‘incoherent’ way, the filing said.
At a Comfort Inn in Newport staff had also contacted Evans-Freke’s father after he was seen talking to himself and carrying knives around the hotel, it is alleged.
A court report says that Stephen Evans-Freke had said his son was suffering from severe paranoia, was ‘very violent’ and being told by voices in his head to kill someone.
Two days after the petition Roland was then excluded from the Comfort Inn after a violent outburst at his father and staff, court papers said.
In April of last year he was staying inside the Ashley Inn with staff receiving numerous complaints about his behavior, the suit said.
Debra Cole, who is seeking at least $20 million in damages, accuses the hotel and Stephen Evans-Freke of being liable for abuse of a vulnerable person due to Bradley’s age.
OregonLive reported that if a jury agreed to that allegation alone the damages would triple under a state law.
Speaking with the outlet she said that she filed the suit so what happened to her husband doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Evans-Freke stands accused of the second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault and robbery of Cole in the parking lot of the hotel.
Bradley Cole is seen here alongside his with Debra and their family
The couple had been at the hotel to celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary, with Cole leaving to walk their dog on the grounds
Debra Cole is seeking at least $20 million in damage. She accuses the hotel and Stephen Evans-Freke liable for abuse of a vulnerable person due to Bradley’s age
He has been held inside a state hospital since his arrest last May, after being found unfit to aid in his defense, Oregon Live reported.
At a commitment hearing on Wednesday it was revealed that Evans-Freke suffers from schizophrenia, but he said he does not believe he is unwell, the outlet said.
His defense lawyer said he has suffered a long-standing mental illness and had not been on consistent medication.
A New York native, Evans-Freke was raised inside 8 bedroom home worth $3 million in Orange County alongside a sibling, his father Stephen and mother Valerie.
His mother, a former model, married the elder Evans-Freke in 1990. He has worked in the biotechnology industry and as an investment banker, CEO and venture capitalist.
The two divorced in 2022, with Stephen saying in court papers filed in the US Virgin Islands that he had a net worth of $25 million and earned between $50-70,000 per month.
In a recent article with The Irish Times, Stephen was identified as the owner of a castle in Ireland, which he said had been previously owned by his ancestors.
The outlet added that the elder Evans-Freke had previously worked for IBM and built the first computer program for valuing gold mines.
Daily Mail has approached the Ashley Inn & Suites hotel and a representative for Stephen Evans-Freke for comment.
