Shivangi Sinha
Mildred Olivo was a vivacious woman who cherished her time spent with family and friends. Her zest for life was evident in her enthusiastic approach to making connections with those around her. Her warm and loving nature endeared her to everyone she crossed paths with. Consequently, the news of her tragic death sent shockwaves through her family, leaving people bewildered as they struggled to comprehend who could commit such an act.
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fear Thy Neighbor: Vendetta in Vegas’ delves into the case, meticulously examining the sequence of events that culminated in Olivo’s untimely demise.
How Did Mildred Olivo Die?
In her pursuit of a fresh start and a vibrant new chapter in her life, Mildred Olivo made a move from Monticello, New York, to Las Vegas during the mid-1990s. Swiftly, she secured both a job and a place to call home in the city. What made her journey even more special was the fact that her daughter and her younger grandson, Roman, also decided to relocate to Vegas, reuniting their family.
Olivo shared a remarkably close bond with her grandson and played a pivotal role in providing him with love and care during his formative years. In the late 2000s, she discovered a residence, 4412 Mossy Rock Court, where she established not just a house but a genuine home. Here, she was not only surrounded by the love of her family but also by the people she encountered in her everyday life.
On June 25, 2020, the police received a call and swiftly arrived at Mildred Olivo’s residence. There, they discovered the lifeless body of Olivo, aged 71 , with a gunshot wound to her head. Her partner, Timothy Hanson, aged 54, was also found deceased, lying beside her, having suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. The Clark County Coroner’s Office confirmed that both the victims had died on the spot due to the fatal shots.
Who Killed Mildred Olivo?
The police swiftly identified the perpetrator responsible for Mildred Olivo’s tragic death. The call they received came from Olivo’s neighbor, Andrew Cote, a 38-year-old man who was married and had three young children, and was also a former pastor at Mountain View Baptist Church. He called the police to tell them that he had shot two people.
The simmering feud between these neighbors had been ongoing for quite some time, dating back to when Cote moved into the house next door in 2009. Over the years, both neighbors had frequently called the police on each other, and interviews with other neighbors corroborated the existence of this ongoing conflict. One notable point of contention between them revolved around Mildred Olivo’s use of her hot tub in her backyard, which had drawn objections from Andrew Cote. He had vocally expressed his disapproval, going so far as to yell at her to wear more clothing while using the hot tub. In contrast, Olivo strongly believed in her right to privacy on her property.
In an attempt to create a physical boundary between their properties, Cote had erected a brick fence. However, the disputes between the two neighbors persisted and In April 2020, Cote took a significant step by applying for a restraining order against Mildred Olivo. Just 10 hours before the incident, Cote had reported an earlier altercation to the police. He alleged that during an argument, Olivo had intentionally sprayed him and one of his children with a garden hose and he believed she was violating the restraining order. When the police arrived, they told him “it’s only water.”
According to Olivo’s account, Timothy Hanson had arrived at her house that night, standing in the backyard and shouting at Cote. Cote’s daughter was present in the backyard as well, and Hanson told her to “go get your Daddy.” Cote admitted to grabbing his 12-gauge shotgun, walking outside, aiming the weapon over the wall, and fatally shooting Olivo and Hanson in the head. When he observed that Hanson was still alive, he fired a second, fatal shot. He was brought in for questioning and subsequently arrested.
Andrew Cote is Currently Incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison
During his trial in May 2022, Andrew Cote presented his perspective, asserting that his issues with Mildred Olivo had initially surfaced in 2009 when his 1-year-old Chihuahua, Princess, went missing. He harbored suspicions that Olivo may have been somehow involved in the disappearance of his beloved pet. Cote also mentioned that he had attempted to invite Olivo to attend church with him. However, he claimed to have torn-up images of Jesus left on his front porch, which he believed were left there by Olivo. At another point, Cote described an incident in which Olivo had hung a white banner bearing the word “Satan” on her back porch, which directly faced Cote’s yard. He added that Olivo had threatened to shoot his wife.
Roman, Olivo’s grandson, said, “What was this guy thinking? For him to have this issue with such an old woman. She’s a little old lady… She was just so happy and she wanted to do so much better and do more.”
The jury in Clark County delivered a verdict of guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, leading to a life sentence for Andrew Cote. He was credited with the 756 days of jail time he had already served by the time of the trial. Currently, he is incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison and will become eligible for parole after completing 56 years from the day of his sentencing.
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