Fear Thy Neighbor is examining the murder of Mildred Olivio and her friend Timothy Hanson by Olivio’s neighbor, pastor Andrew Cote, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On June 25, 2020, Cote grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun, marched into his yard, and fired over his fence at 71-year-old Mildred Olivo and 54-year-old Timothy Darnell Hanson, killing them both. Cote then called the police and was immediately arrested for double homicide.
The murders stemmed from a decade-long feud involving Cote and Olivio. The two neighbors had been arguing and calling the police on each other for ten years.
In 2009, shortly after Cote had moved in, he accused Olivio of stealing his 1-year-old Chihuahua, and it escalated from there as both neighbors ended up requesting restraining orders.
The Baptist pastor had tried to convert Olivio to his church, but she refused and allegedly hung up a banner reading “Satan.” Cote also accused her of ripping up a picture of Jesus and scattering the pieces on his porch.
Other neighbors later told the police that Cote was often angered because Olivio sunbathed naked. Witnesses said they heard Cote regularly shouting, “Put on some clothes.”
The feud between Andrew Cote and Mildred Olivio escalated before murders
Cote had started videotaping his interactions with Olivio, and on the day of the murders, he was videoing her watering her plants when she sprayed him and his 9-year-old daughter with water. This angered him enough to call the police, but the cops dismissed his concerns.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe killer claimed that a few hours later, he heard Olivio’s friend Hanson in Olivio’s yard, and he feared for his daughter’s safety because she was playing in their backyard. He said he heard Hanson yelling at his daughter and grabbed his gun because he was frightened.
Cote fired three times over the fence, shooting Hanson first before turning the gun on Olivio; he then shot Hanson again. He claimed it was self-defense.
The pastor did not show much remorse for the killings. When District Attorney Pamela Weckerly asked him, “Certainly, you acknowledge that there were things you could have done other than shooting them both with a 12-gauge shotgun, right?” Cote responded sarcastically, “You mean like doing jumping jacks?”
Cote claimed that he had only wanted to scare off Hanson but had become scared himself when Hanson, a former marine, showed no concern over the weapon.
Andrew Cote convicted of Mildred Olivio and Timothy Hanson murders
Cote was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 56 years.
At the sentencing, Hanson’s daughter, Choyce Guice, said she still maintained her faith in God and would find a way to forgive her father’s killer so she could “live in peace.”
Olivo’s daughter, Lissette Botello, told Cote, “You took a big piece of my life and my heart.”
Fear Thy Neighbor airs Mondays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.