WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man charged with attempting to kill his girlfriend took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday, saying he never intended to hurt the alleged victim.
Cole Goldberg testifies in his attempted murder trial on March 11, 2026. (Court TV)
Cole Goldberg, 26, faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder, but painted the incident at Boca Bash on April 24, 2022, as a misunderstanding rather than a criminal act. “I would never do that,” Goldberg said when asked if he tried to drown his girlfriend.
Caroline Schwitzsky Lebron, the alleged victim, testified on Tuesday to her version of events: she described an angry Goldberg who became increasingly belligerent over the course of the day before he physically attacked her. Schwitzsky Lebron described the defendant as grabbing onto her, digging his nails into her, and eventually holding her around the neck and forcing her beneath the water.
Goldberg described a different day: one filled with fun and no drama. While Schwitzsky Lebron claimed that Goldberg threw a can of seltzer at her face, Goldberg said he was merely tossing her a drink that she’d asked for. Goldberg said he never grabbed the alleged victim or pushed her into the water — he said Schwitzsky Lebron jumped into the ocean on her own.
Concerned for her safety, Goldberg said he jumped into the water after Schwitzsky Lebron, but was quickly overwhelmed by water splashing in his eyes and into his mouth. “I didn’t intend to hurt her,” Goldberg said. He said he grabbed her shoulder because it was the first thing he saw. “There was nothing to hold on to, and I was sinking, very scary.”
Even after officers with the Fish and Wildlife Commission arrived on scene, Goldberg was confused. “I didn’t understand what was going on,” he said, after officers brought him onto their boat and began questioning him. Goldberg said he thought the officers were planning to reunite the couple. At no point, he said, did he think that Schwitzsky Lebron was breaking up with him or trying to escape him.
Goldberg has elected to waive his right to a jury trial; the judge alone will decide his fate.
