January 29, 2025 • 13 mins
How do we ensure that the most vulnerable among us are truly protected? Deanna Cook's tragic story is a stark reminder of the systemic failures that allow domestic violence to persist unchecked. This episode of "1 in 3" takes us through her desperate struggle to break free from the cycle of abuse perpetuated by her ex-husband, Delvecchio Patrick. Despite Deanna's relentless efforts to seek help through the legal system and numerous calls to law enforcement, she faced insurmountable obstacles that ultimately led to her untimely death. Her heartbreaking journey underscores the urgent need for reform and more effective protective measures for abuse victims.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/dallas-911-operator-breaks-silence-on-deanna-cook-case-30666307618
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5MkvJoUazw
https://crimecornertalks.medium.com/the-deanna-cook-case-major-911-and-police-failures-7f35cd714834
Going West True Crime Podcast: Episode 72, Deanna Cook
1 in 3 is intended for mature audiences. Episodes contain explicit content and may be triggering to some.
If you are in the United States and need help right now, call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text the word “start” to 88788.
Contact 1 in 3:
- Send your emails to 1in3podcast@gmail.com
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Thank you for listening and please remember to rate, review & subscribe!
Cover art by Laura Swift Dahlke
Music by Tim Crowe
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi Warriors, welcome to 1 in 3.
I'm your host, ingrid.
Some of the stories I havepresented ended tragically.
In too many of thosecircumstances, the outcome
occurred despite the victimfollowing all recommendations to
ensure their safety.
My apologies, but today is nodifferent.
This is the story of DeannaCook.
(00:22):
Deanna Cook was born to VickiCook and Mark Thompson in June
of 1980.
Deanna Cook was born to VickiCook and Mark Thompson in June
(00:43):
of 1980.
The oldest of four girls,deanna quickly adapted to the
role of the oldest child,assisting her single mother
throughout her childhood.
In high school, deanna wasknown to be very athletic and
did well in track and field forher South Cliff high school team
.
She was described as beautiful,with an infectious laugh.
(01:03):
She had high aspirations ofbecoming a model or an author.
At the age of 16 years, deannahad her first daughter.
She welcomed her seconddaughter two years later, at the
age of 18.
She was a good mother and dideverything she could to provide
a loving, stable environment forher girls.
She moved her daughters to acute home in a nicer area
(01:27):
located in South Dallas.
She eventually met DelvecchioPatrick, who was five and a half
years her elder, despite hisprevious charges of aggravated
assault in 1994 and possessionof cocaine in 2007, deanna began
a romantic relationship withhim.
The relationship was violentfrom the beginning and
Delvecchio would oftenphysically abuse Deanna.
(01:49):
She hoped marriage would changeas they married in 2008.
Interjection time so many of ushope different circumstances
can or will change our partner'sbehavior.
But here's the thing.
Their behavior is because ofwhat's inside of them.
It's not because of externalinfluences.
(02:11):
Getting married, havingchildren, moving to a different
location or changing professionswill not fix them or your
relationship.
Such was the case for Deannaand Delvecchio.
His physical abuse continuedand progressively worsened.
The first call to 911 came fromone of Deanna's friends in
(02:33):
January of 2009.
Delvecchio had kicked in abedroom door, grabbed Deanna and
held her up against a wallwhile strangling her.
Deanna's friend screamed at himto let her go.
He immediately obliged andgrabbed a knife, turning on her
friend while threatening to dothe same to her.
The friend ran out of the houseand called police.
(02:57):
I deliberately use the termstrangling here.
Oftentimes, when referring tothese situations, people will
say choking or choked.
It may seem very trivial todraw attention to such a simple
exchange of words.
However, choking is theinability to breathe due to an
obstruction in the airway.
Strangling or strangulation isthe use of external force or
(03:22):
pressure to impede another'sability to breathe.
It is a deliberate act toseriously harm or even kill
someone.
Personally, I feel using theterm choked downplays the
malicious intent behind the act.
So I repeat, delvecchio wasstrangling Deanna.
(03:44):
He was subsequently arrested andDeanna filed for a restraining
order.
Del Vecchio was released onemonth later on a $25,000 bond.
That very month, in February,he once again strangled Deanna
during a fight.
Following the fight, she wasable to successfully kick him
(04:04):
out of the house.
In March, it was documentedthat he called her hundreds of
times with threats.
Some of those threats includedkilling her, killing her in
front of her daughters, killingher mother and having his
friends sexually assault herdaughters.
I'm going to attempt tosummarize what happened over the
(04:26):
next few months, but theaccounts get a little fuzzy with
the exact timeline and detailsof what happens.
Delvecchio continued to stalkDeanna.
In August, he strangled heragain and was arrested a second
time.
At this point, there is stillno restraining order that was
granted due to Delvecchio beingin and out of jail and possible
(04:50):
lack of follow-up on Deanna'spart.
In October of 2009, deannafiled for divorce.
Naturally, delvecchio wouldn'tsign the papers.
She wrote letters to the courtdetailing her plight and asking
for assistance in granting thedivorce or restraining order or
something for God's sake.
(05:11):
But instead a judge eventuallydismissed Delvecchio's case.
Deanna, in just her bra andunderwear, ran screaming to her
neighbor's house one evening inMarch of 2010.
She was repeating.
The neighbor took Deanna intoher home after seeing Delvecchio
(05:34):
standing in Deanna's yard.
Meanwhile that same evening, inanother part of town, an
employee saw what appeared to bean injured Delvecchio sitting
in a La Quinta Motel lobby.
That employee called the police, who took Delvecchio's
statement.
Is it any surprise that heexplained his shoulder and
(05:54):
facial wounds were from Deannaattacking him, despite his long
criminal history, including atleast two arrests for domestic
violence?
Police found Deanna andarrested her.
Now I'm definitely missing someinformation here, but Deanna was
released.
I'm not sure if the chargeswere dropped or not and at some
(06:16):
point Delvacchio was arrestedagain, but I can't find if those
charges were related.
Regardless, this time heremained behind bars for one
year and guess what?
As soon as he was released, delVecchio returned to harassing,
stalking and terrorizing Deanna.
Police arrived to Deanna'shouse in May of 2011, just two
(06:40):
months following Del Vecchio'srelease to find her with knife
wounds.
She reported he had drug her byher hair, cut her with a knife,
hit her and threatened her witha crowbar.
He was arrested again.
Deanna tried to file fordivorce again.
Finally, this time, a judgegranted it.
(07:04):
Their divorce was finalized inJanuary of 2012.
Okay, I know I'm repeatingmyself here, but Delvecchio was
released and returned tostalking Deanna Per her call to
police in May of 2012,.
He had called her over 100times.
July 28, 2012, deanna calledthe police twice that morning.
(07:31):
Delvecchio had knocked on herdoor and threatened her.
The second time she called waslater that day, on her way to
work, after seeing him standingin the park directly across from
her house, she simply wantedpolice to remove him from the
area.
When they arrived, they droppedhim off at a family member's
house just down the road.
(07:51):
Unfortunately, they couldn'tarrest him for violation of a
restraining order because therestill was no restraining order
granted.
Vicky and Deanna met at churchon August 12, 2012, which was
their normal routine.
What was not normal was thatDelvecchio accompanied Deanna.
(08:11):
He never went to church.
A few days later, vicki noticedanother abnormality in Deanna's
routine.
The two had set up a daily callaround 10 am during Deanna's
commute into work.
Just a quick side note herethis daily check-in is a really
good idea.
I know I have mentioned it inprevious episodes, but when you
(08:35):
are in a violent and unstablerelationship or, like in this
case, a dangerous situation,despite removing yourself from
the relationship, check in withsomeone regularly.
And here's why On August 18,2012, deanna didn't answer her
mom's calls or texts.
(08:57):
Vicki tried to downplay herconcern initially, but Deanna
had also not posted on socialmedia.
The concerned mom contactedDeanna's friends, even
Delvecchio.
He mentioned not speaking toDeanna for about four days and,
over his concern with this, hesent friends to go check on her.
The following day was a Sundayand Deanna did not show up to
(09:20):
church.
Now this was the last straw forVicki.
She knew something was wrong.
After church she, along withDeanna's two teenage daughters
and one of Deanna's sisters,went to Deanna's house.
Immediately they noticedsomething was amiss.
Deanna's dog was barkingincessantly in the backyard.
(09:43):
Stranger still, water waspouring out of the garage.
Vicky instantly called thepolice for a welfare check.
She explained the scene at thehouse, deanna's history with
Delvecchio and the fact no onehad heard from her in days.
The operator insisted thatnothing would be done, however,
(10:13):
until the family called localhospitals and jails first.
Once the women realized no onewas going to come, one of
Deanna's daughters jumped thefence and Deanna's sister kicked
in the door.
The scene that awaited them washorrific.
I'm not going to get into thedetails because I'm not about
the dramatization.
What I do want to bring up is abreakdown of the days leading
up to this discovery.
On August 16th, deanna calledthe police again because
(10:38):
Delvecchio was across the streetfrom her house.
Again, she explained herhistory with Delvecchio over the
last few years.
Again, at this point it'sreally difficult to count how
many times Deanna actually hadcontacted the police regarding
Delvecchio.
In fact, she even called him onthe day she was murdered and
(11:10):
screaming for her life, alongwith sounds of a struggle.
When the police finally arrived, about 50, that's 50, five zero
minutes later, they knocked onthe door and left when no one
answered.
Okay, so all the legal stuffleading to Deanna's murder was a
mess.
Well, the investigation and thetrial were too.
There was a great display ofvictim blaming, of course, as
(11:33):
well as drawing attention toDeanna's possible history of
mental illness, of course.
Despite all of this.
Thankfully, delvecchio wasfound guilty for first-degree
murder.
He was sentenced to 85 years inprison.
Deanna's case gained attentionfrom the community and media
(11:55):
Because of the persistence ofher mother and daughters.
There were personnel changesand multiple other improvements
made to the 911 reporting system, one of which included the
mandatory prioritization ofdomestic violence calls.
This is a tragic story and Ireally wish it had a different
ending, but this is a primeexample of how we need to
(12:17):
continue to advocate forourselves and each other.
Let's follow the road thatDeanna's mother and daughters
have paved and insist changes bemade in this dark world of
domestic violence.
Thank you for listening.
I will be back next week withanother episode for you.
(12:38):
Until then, stay strong andwherever you are in your journey
, always remember you are notalone.
Find more information, registeras a guest or leave a review by
going to the website.
Always remember you andsubscribe.
One in Three is a .5 Pinoyproduction Music written and
(13:23):
performed by Tim Crow.
Hi Warriors, welcome to 1 in 3.
I'm your host, ingrid.
Some of the stories I havepresented ended tragically.
In too many of thosecircumstances, the outcome
occurred despite the victimfollowing all recommendations to
ensure their safety.
My apologies, but today is nodifferent.
This is the story of DeannaCook.
(00:22):
Deanna Cook was born to VickiCook and Mark Thompson in June
of 1980.
Deanna Cook was born to VickiCook and Mark Thompson in June
(00:43):
of 1980.
The oldest of four girls,deanna quickly adapted to the
role of the oldest child,assisting her single mother
throughout her childhood.
In high school, deanna wasknown to be very athletic and
did well in track and field forher South Cliff high school team
.
She was described as beautiful,with an infectious laugh.
(01:03):
She had high aspirations ofbecoming a model or an author.
At the age of 16 years, deannahad her first daughter.
She welcomed her seconddaughter two years later, at the
age of 18.
She was a good mother and dideverything she could to provide
a loving, stable environment forher girls.
She moved her daughters to acute home in a nicer area
(01:27):
located in South Dallas.
She eventually met DelvecchioPatrick, who was five and a half
years her elder, despite hisprevious charges of aggravated
assault in 1994 and possessionof cocaine in 2007, deanna began
a romantic relationship withhim.
The relationship was violentfrom the beginning and
Delvecchio would oftenphysically abuse Deanna.
(01:49):
She hoped marriage would changeas they married in 2008.
Interjection time so many of ushope different circumstances
can or will change our partner'sbehavior.
But here's the thing.
Their behavior is because ofwhat's inside of them.
It's not because of externalinfluences.
(02:11):
Getting married, havingchildren, moving to a different
location or changing professionswill not fix them or your
relationship.
Such was the case for Deannaand Delvecchio.
His physical abuse continuedand progressively worsened.
The first call to 911 came fromone of Deanna's friends in
(02:33):
January of 2009.
Delvecchio had kicked in abedroom door, grabbed Deanna and
held her up against a wallwhile strangling her.
Deanna's friend screamed at himto let her go.
He immediately obliged andgrabbed a knife, turning on her
friend while threatening to dothe same to her.
The friend ran out of the houseand called police.
(02:57):
I deliberately use the termstrangling here.
Oftentimes, when referring tothese situations, people will
say choking or choked.
It may seem very trivial todraw attention to such a simple
exchange of words.
However, choking is theinability to breathe due to an
obstruction in the airway.
Strangling or strangulation isthe use of external force or
(03:22):
pressure to impede another'sability to breathe.
It is a deliberate act toseriously harm or even kill
someone.
Personally, I feel using theterm choked downplays the
malicious intent behind the act.
So I repeat, delvecchio wasstrangling Deanna.
(03:44):
He was subsequently arrested andDeanna filed for a restraining
order.
Del Vecchio was released onemonth later on a $25,000 bond.
That very month, in February,he once again strangled Deanna
during a fight.
Following the fight, she wasable to successfully kick him
(04:04):
out of the house.
In March, it was documentedthat he called her hundreds of
times with threats.
Some of those threats includedkilling her, killing her in
front of her daughters, killingher mother and having his
friends sexually assault herdaughters.
I'm going to attempt tosummarize what happened over the
(04:26):
next few months, but theaccounts get a little fuzzy with
the exact timeline and detailsof what happens.
Delvecchio continued to stalkDeanna.
In August, he strangled heragain and was arrested a second
time.
At this point, there is stillno restraining order that was
granted due to Delvecchio beingin and out of jail and possible
(04:50):
lack of follow-up on Deanna'spart.
In October of 2009, deannafiled for divorce.
Naturally, delvecchio wouldn'tsign the papers.
She wrote letters to the courtdetailing her plight and asking
for assistance in granting thedivorce or restraining order or
something for God's sake.
(05:11):
But instead a judge eventuallydismissed Delvecchio's case.
Deanna, in just her bra andunderwear, ran screaming to her
neighbor's house one evening inMarch of 2010.
She was repeating.
The neighbor took Deanna intoher home after seeing Delvecchio
(05:34):
standing in Deanna's yard.
Meanwhile that same evening, inanother part of town, an
employee saw what appeared to bean injured Delvecchio sitting
in a La Quinta Motel lobby.
That employee called the police, who took Delvecchio's
statement.
Is it any surprise that heexplained his shoulder and
(05:54):
facial wounds were from Deannaattacking him, despite his long
criminal history, including atleast two arrests for domestic
violence?
Police found Deanna andarrested her.
Now I'm definitely missing someinformation here, but Deanna was
released.
I'm not sure if the chargeswere dropped or not and at some
(06:16):
point Delvacchio was arrestedagain, but I can't find if those
charges were related.
Regardless, this time heremained behind bars for one
year and guess what?
As soon as he was released, delVecchio returned to harassing,
stalking and terrorizing Deanna.
Police arrived to Deanna'shouse in May of 2011, just two
(06:40):
months following Del Vecchio'srelease to find her with knife
wounds.
She reported he had drug her byher hair, cut her with a knife,
hit her and threatened her witha crowbar.
He was arrested again.
Deanna tried to file fordivorce again.
Finally, this time, a judgegranted it.
(07:04):
Their divorce was finalized inJanuary of 2012.
Okay, I know I'm repeatingmyself here, but Delvecchio was
released and returned tostalking Deanna Per her call to
police in May of 2012,.
He had called her over 100times.
July 28, 2012, deanna calledthe police twice that morning.
(07:31):
Delvecchio had knocked on herdoor and threatened her.
The second time she called waslater that day, on her way to
work, after seeing him standingin the park directly across from
her house, she simply wantedpolice to remove him from the
area.
When they arrived, they droppedhim off at a family member's
house just down the road.
(07:51):
Unfortunately, they couldn'tarrest him for violation of a
restraining order because therestill was no restraining order
granted.
Vicky and Deanna met at churchon August 12, 2012, which was
their normal routine.
What was not normal was thatDelvecchio accompanied Deanna.
(08:11):
He never went to church.
A few days later, vicki noticedanother abnormality in Deanna's
routine.
The two had set up a daily callaround 10 am during Deanna's
commute into work.
Just a quick side note herethis daily check-in is a really
good idea.
I know I have mentioned it inprevious episodes, but when you
(08:35):
are in a violent and unstablerelationship or, like in this
case, a dangerous situation,despite removing yourself from
the relationship, check in withsomeone regularly.
And here's why On August 18,2012, deanna didn't answer her
mom's calls or texts.
(08:57):
Vicki tried to downplay herconcern initially, but Deanna
had also not posted on socialmedia.
The concerned mom contactedDeanna's friends, even
Delvecchio.
He mentioned not speaking toDeanna for about four days and,
over his concern with this, hesent friends to go check on her.
The following day was a Sundayand Deanna did not show up to
(09:20):
church.
Now this was the last straw forVicki.
She knew something was wrong.
After church she, along withDeanna's two teenage daughters
and one of Deanna's sisters,went to Deanna's house.
Immediately they noticedsomething was amiss.
Deanna's dog was barkingincessantly in the backyard.
(09:43):
Stranger still, water waspouring out of the garage.
Vicky instantly called thepolice for a welfare check.
She explained the scene at thehouse, deanna's history with
Delvecchio and the fact no onehad heard from her in days.
The operator insisted thatnothing would be done, however,
(10:13):
until the family called localhospitals and jails first.
Once the women realized no onewas going to come, one of
Deanna's daughters jumped thefence and Deanna's sister kicked
in the door.
The scene that awaited them washorrific.
I'm not going to get into thedetails because I'm not about
the dramatization.
What I do want to bring up is abreakdown of the days leading
up to this discovery.
On August 16th, deanna calledthe police again because
(10:38):
Delvecchio was across the streetfrom her house.
Again, she explained herhistory with Delvecchio over the
last few years.
Again, at this point it'sreally difficult to count how
many times Deanna actually hadcontacted the police regarding
Delvecchio.
In fact, she even called him onthe day she was murdered and
(11:10):
screaming for her life, alongwith sounds of a struggle.
When the police finally arrived, about 50, that's 50, five zero
minutes later, they knocked onthe door and left when no one
answered.
Okay, so all the legal stuffleading to Deanna's murder was a
mess.
Well, the investigation and thetrial were too.
There was a great display ofvictim blaming, of course, as
(11:33):
well as drawing attention toDeanna's possible history of
mental illness, of course.
Despite all of this.
Thankfully, delvecchio wasfound guilty for first-degree
murder.
He was sentenced to 85 years inprison.
Deanna's case gained attentionfrom the community and media
(11:55):
Because of the persistence ofher mother and daughters.
There were personnel changesand multiple other improvements
made to the 911 reporting system, one of which included the
mandatory prioritization ofdomestic violence calls.
This is a tragic story and Ireally wish it had a different
ending, but this is a primeexample of how we need to
(12:17):
continue to advocate forourselves and each other.
Let's follow the road thatDeanna's mother and daughters
have paved and insist changes bemade in this dark world of
domestic violence.
Thank you for listening.
I will be back next week withanother episode for you.
(12:38):
Until then, stay strong andwherever you are in your journey
, always remember you are notalone.
Find more information, registeras a guest or leave a review by
going to the website.
Always remember you andsubscribe.
One in Three is a .5 Pinoyproduction Music written and
(13:23):
performed by Tim Crow.
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