A wealthy California doctor and his wife were gunned down inside their $1.3 million home by their own son — who then fled, set his car on fire, and turned the gun on himself, police said.
Eric Cordes, 63, and his wife Vicki, 66, were shot multiple times and killed in the garage of their upscale Simi Valley home around noon on Sunday.
Authorities identified a body found inside a burned-out car in Chino, about 65 miles away, as 37-year-old Keith Cordes, the son of the slain doctor, the LA Times reported Tuesday.
The body of Dr. Cordes’ son was discovered inside a burned-out Honda Civic, some 65 miles from the scene of the killings.
Dr. Cordes’ son was found dead inside a burned-out Honda Civic, roughly 65 miles from where the killings took place. CBC LA
Living in Kentucky, the son’s reason for the savage killings remains a mystery, with police offering no explanation so far.
Detectives couldn’t immediately identify the badly burned body. Using license plate readers, they traced Keith’s black Honda Civic from the crime scene all the way to Chino, where it finally came to rest near Ayala Park, police said.
Authorities say a handgun found in the car was likely used in the grisly double killing that has rattled Simi Valley, a community that usually records just one murder per year.
Dr. Eric Cordes, 63, had built a reputation as a trusted and well-respected radiologist. Focus Medical Imaging
Additional forensic testing is underway, as the medical examiner works to piece together the full story behind the killings.
Eric Cordes was remembered as a "beloved physician" and radiologist at Adventist Health Simi Valley, who served the community "with compassion and excellence for nearly 30 years," hospital president Alice Issai said in a statement.
In Simi Valley, where the couple called home, a murder is a rare event—averaging only one a year. CBC LA
The community “is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr. Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” she added.
“Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this shocking loss,” Issai said.
