A method of wireless communication at a first user equipment, UE, comprising: identifying, in a control channel of a downlink transmission, a downlink control information, DCI, message that comprises first scheduling information for a grant of resources to the first UE in a first layer of the downlink transmission, wherein the DCI message indicates: that a companion DCI message is present in the control channel; and an aggregation level or an offset relative to the aggregation level of the companion DCI message; identifying the companion DCI message that comprises second scheduling information for at least one other layer of the downlink transmission, wherein the companion DCI message comprises a data portion and a cyclic redundancy check, CRC, portion, and wherein the companion DCI message is identified based at least in part on the DCI message; calculating a CRC value for the data portion of the companion DCI message; determining a radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, of a co-scheduled UE based at least in part on the calculated CRC value and the CRC portion; determining a format of the companion DCI message, wherein the determining comprises determining that the CRC portion is scrambled with one of a plurality of reserved RNTIs corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-determined formats for the companion DCI message, the plurality of pre-determined formats comprising a first format that comprises one record associated with multiple co-scheduled UEs and a second format that comprises a separate record for each of a plurality of co-scheduled UEs; extracting fields of the companion DCI message according to the one of the plurality of pre-determined formats corresponding to the one of the plurality of reserved RNTIs used to scramble the CRC portion; receiving the downlink transmission based at least in part on the DCI message; performing reduced-complexity maximum likelihood, RML, or symbol level interference cancellation, SLIC, of one or more transmission layers according to information comprised by the DCI message and the companion DCI message; and decoding the downlink transmission based at least in part on the DCI message and the companion DCI message. identifying, in a control channel of a downlink transmission, a downlink control information, DCI, message that comprises first scheduling information for a grant of resources to the first UE in a first layer of the downlink transmission, wherein the DCI message indicates: that a companion DCI message is present in the control channel; and an aggregation level or an offset relative to the aggregation level of the companion DCI message; that a companion DCI message is present in the control channel; and an aggregation level or an offset relative to the aggregation level of the companion DCI message; identifying the companion DCI message that comprises second scheduling information for at least one other layer of the downlink transmission, wherein the companion DCI message comprises a data portion and a cyclic redundancy check, CRC, portion, and wherein the companion DCI message is identified based at least in part on the DCI message; calculating a CRC value for the data portion of the companion DCI message; determining a radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, of a co-scheduled UE based at least in part on the calculated CRC value and the CRC portion; determining a format of the companion DCI message, wherein the determining comprises determining that the CRC portion is scrambled with one of a plurality of reserved RNTIs corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-determined formats for the companion DCI message, the plurality of pre-determined formats comprising a first format that comprises one record associated with multiple co-scheduled UEs and a second format that comprises a separate record for each of a plurality of co-scheduled UEs; extracting fields of the companion DCI message according to the one of the plurality of pre-determined formats corresponding to the one of the plurality of reserved RNTIs used to scramble the CRC portion; receiving the downlink transmission based at least in part on the DCI message; performing reduced-complexity maximum likelihood, RML, or symbol level interference cancellation, SLIC, of one or more transmission layers according to information comprised by the DCI message and the companion DCI message; and decoding the downlink transmission based at least in part on the DCI message and the companion DCI message.