Silent Witness takes on murder case of 2020 Valley father

PHOENIX — The Gilbert police department is teaming up with Silent Witness to look into an unsolved 2020 murder case that left a family without a father and a community reeling.

On May 27, 2020, Nicholas Cordova, 40, was shot and killed while he was on a video call with his two children.

Cordova was killed, while working at his business Gilbert Air, near Cooper and Guadalupe Roads.

A suspect was believed to be seen in a surveillance video, but his identity remains a mystery.

Cordova’s murder case has become part of the Silent Witness program, which is staffed by Phoenix police officers.

Police are reaching out to the community and offering a reward of up to $20,000 for any information that could help solve Cordova’s murder.

What happened the day the father of two was killed?

Cordova’s wife, Alysha Cordova remembers the day her husband was killed. Her two children were chatting with their dad through a video call. Then suddenly, her daughter told Alysha she was worried about what she saw and heard during the call.

“My little girl said it looked muffled, something was going on. And so, I quickly took the phone,” Alysha said.

Alysha quickly dialed 911 and told the emergency operator she believed her husband was involved in a “struggle” and that she thought she had seen a gun in the video.

When Gilbert police arrived on scene they found Cordova unresponsive.

There were two suspects believed to be involved in Cordova’s murder. One of the suspects may have been caught on a surveillance camera from a nearby convenience store.

The suspect is described as a heavy set Hispanic or Native American man, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, according to police. No public information was made available about the other suspect.

Both suspects fled from the scene in a silver and red Ford F-150 truck.

Cordova’s business partner, Dave Sweetman was present when Cordova was murdered and may be a factor in the investigation, according to police.

Silent Witness brings hope to Cordova family

Alysha said she is “frustrated” on how her husband’s case was handled and said she had issues communicating with the Gilbert Police Department.

“It’s not going to make it okay. But, I think it would bring a little bit of closure and peace to our family, just knowing the men who took him from us are being held accountable,” Alysha said.

She is hopeful that the collaboration with Silent Witness will help solve her husband’s murder. Silent Witness is a program that takes on unsolved felony cases and works with the community, media and law enforcement to find answers.

“A lot of the times these crimes can be solved a lot more quickly with the help of our community members in providing these tips, providing surveillance cameras pictures,” Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Brian Bower said.

“And to the men who shattered the Cordova family, your heart is heavy right now. You need to call in and make amends to this family that’s struggling, after five years of this loss, — they’re still struggling. You need to do the right thing.”

Gilbert police Cmdr. Joe Rodriguez said his department is committed to solving Cordova’s murder.

Meanwhile, Cordova’s family has to live on without him.

“His death has affected us tremendously, he was the glue that held us all together. And, without the glue we’re all just falling apart,” Alysha said through tears.

Police ask that anyone who has information about this case to call 480-WITNESS or go to silentwitness.org. 

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