Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Police Name Son as Suspect in Simi Valley Doctor and Wife Killings After His Death by Suicide

License-plate cameras led investigators to a burned Honda Civic in Chino, where a handgun was recovered and the medical examiner identified the suspect.

Overview

  • Eric Cordes, 63, and his wife, Vicki, 66, were found with multiple gunshot wounds inside the open garage of their Simi Valley home on Sunday.
  • The San Bernardino County Medical Examiner identified the body found in the burned car as 37-year-old Keith Cordes of Kentucky and ruled his death a self-inflicted gunshot.
  • Police say license-plate readers tracked a black Honda Civic from the crime scene to Chino near Ayala Park, where the vehicle was set on fire.
  • Detectives recovered a handgun at the Chino scene that they believe is the same weapon used in the killings, with forensic testing still pending.
  • Investigators have not determined a motive, and Adventist Health Simi Valley said Dr. Cordes, a longtime radiologist, was a highly respected and beloved colleague.