A Simi Valley couple was shot to death in their home by the husband's son, who then fled to Chino, set their car on fire and fatally shot himself, police said.
The gruesome double homicide unfolded around noon Sunday when officers with the Simi Valley Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls for shots fired in the 500 block of Hawks Bill Place.
There they found Eric Cordes, 63, and Vicki Cordes, 66, with multiple gunshot wounds inside their garage. The victims were transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead, police said.
Eric Cordes was a “beloved physician” and radiologist at Adventist Health Simi Valley who served the Simi Valley community “with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years,” according to a statement shared by Alice Issai, the hospital's president.
The murder shook the peaceful residential community, which averages one homicide a year, and left neighbors searching for answers about the alleged killer.
Police initially said they believed the attack was targeted, but the identity of the alleged shooter was not revealed until Tuesday, when the San Bernardino County medical examiner confirmed that the body pulled from the burned car in Chino was 37-year-old Keith Cordes.
Police believe he opened fire on his father and stepmother before fleeing in a black Honda Civic. Detectives used license plate recognition cameras to track the vehicle, which was registered to Keith, as it traveled south on Highway 210 before exiting at Chino and parking near Ayala Park.
In coordination with Chino Police, detectives learned that an individual inside the car set the vehicle on fire before committing suicide. Initially, severe burns prevented identification, police said.
Investigators recovered a gun from the vehicle and believe it is the weapon used to kill the couple. Keith was a Kentucky resident and Simi Valley police continue to investigate the motive for the attack. The medical examiner is conducting additional forensic testing.
“The Adventist Health Simi Valley community is heartbroken by the tragic death of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” Issai said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him as we mourn this shocking loss.”
