Uber Eats driver killed last week by MS-13 gang member is remembered by his distraught family
The family of Randall ‘Randy’ Cooke, 59, who was killed while making a delivery as an Uber Eats driver, is remembered as a devoted family man who worked hard to fulfill his family’s dreams of living by the ocean.
Cooke was killed by MS-13 mobster Oscar Solis Jr, 30, while making his last food delivery in Florida around 6:30 p.m. on April 19, police said.
His dismembered remains were later found in garbage bags that Solis and another person had taken from the house. Cooke’s blood and wedding ring were also discovered in the house.
His murder has left his family and the local community in shock
Melany Dzoba, Cooke’s stepdaughter, described him as “most perfect man” and “such a lucky guy” who always tried to have fun.
The remains of Randall Cooke, pictured here with his wife, Kathy, were found at Solis’ home in trash bags. His wedding ring was also on the property, police said
Relatives of Cooke, a Florida Uber Eats driver who was killed by an MS-13 gang member, have described him as a hard-working man who is committed to supporting his family
Stepdaughter, Brittany Dzoba, tearfully shared her mother and Cooke moved from Seminole County to Pasco to be closer to the ocean, reflecting his family’s dream of living close to the coast
Cooke, pictured with his wife in 2020. She reported him missing after he failed to come home from his Uber Eats deliveries. Uber told police that Cooke’s last reported location was at Solis’ home
‘He was the most perfect man. Such a lucky guy. I mean, we all go through our ups and downs. We’re all still human beings, but he was just — he was always so happy and just trying to have fun and laugh — all the time,” she shared WFTS in an interview.
Cooke met Dzoba’s mother in 2012, and the couple tied the knot in 2020.
“It was a relationship I could always hope for,” she explained. “Just joined at the hip. Soulmates to the end.
“I still have a voicemail on my phone from last Monday with just his voice telling me how much he loves me and how much he’s there for me,” she said.
Cooke’s other stepdaughter, Brittany Dzoba, tearfully shared that he moved to Pasco from Seminole County to be closer to the ocean, reflecting his family’s dream of living close to the coast.
Randall ‘Randy’ Cooke was remembered as ‘the most perfect man’ and a happy person who always tried to have fun
Cooke is depicted with his wife prior to his gruesome murder and mutilation
The pair are pictured enjoying Christmas celebrations together. Randall posted about his desire to find a new job in the weeks leading up to his gruesome murder
Although he was a graphic designer by trade, he also did deliveries for UberEats to generate some extra income.
“He just had to do everything he could to make ends meet, you know,” she said. “Randy just made everything better,” Dzoba said.
“I love my mother dearly and I hate to see her like this,” she cried.
“Just knowing that she has to come home every day to not have her husband there. They shared so many great memories together.”
“It is impossible for anyone in their right mind to have done such a thing. I mean, makes no sense. The little details don’t add up,” Dzoba said.
Cooke’s family and friends struggle to understand the senseless act of violence that took his life.
Solis, who was affiliated with MS-13 in Indiana, was released and sent to Florida in January, and had a long criminal record, including resisting arrest and a charge of stabbing a fellow prison inmate.
Solis is charged with murder while involved in a robbery, failing to register as a convicted felon and violating parole, prison records show.
Authorities are still trying to determine the motive for Cooke’s murder, but his loved ones are mystified by the seemingly random killing.
Oscar Solis Jr. (pictured left), 30, is charged with killing 59-year-old driver Randal Cooke (pictured right) during a delivery Wednesday at a holiday home in Florida, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference.
“You’re talking about a violent person who released Indiana and sent them to Florida,” Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference.
“Unfortunately, we now have a hard-working man, a loving husband, who is no longer with us because this violent person killed him. It just seems that this was someone who was on his last delivery of the night, and this person killed him for no reason.”
The community has gathered around Cooke’s family, with a GoFundMe page set up to help with expenses. The page raised nearly $33,000 in just three days.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case=,
According to the affidavit, the six-foot-tall, 315-pound Solis worked as a security guard at a strip club.
Evidence gathered in the case includes blood found in several places in the house and a key ring belonging to Cooke found on Solis’ dresser, on top of his wallet.
Solis’ roommate gave authorities access to surveillance video showing Cooke approaching the house to make his delivery.
The affidavit also says Cooke’s car was found abandoned a short distance away and contained a trash bag of blood-soaked rags and towels, a Door Dash bag like Cooke’s, and a work time card with Solis’s name on it.
Investigators also obtained surveillance video from the home showing Cooke delivering the food and later two Hispanic men carrying heavy garbage bags outside.
Cooke had been reported missing by his wife after he never came home from giving birth.