It happens every single day, but the shock of losing someone to a violent act is still unnerving every time. It’s a thought that keeps me up at night. Here I am, living a normal life, when at any moment for any reason, someone else could end my life with the pull of a trigger. The family of Dr. Eric Cordes, 63, and Vicki Schiller, 66, are currently grappling with that same scenario after the couple was brutally executed in their own garage in Southern California.
The pair was found on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at around noon, after an unidentified white male opened fire on the two of them and then sped away from the Simi Valley home, according to the New York Post. Neighbors in Wood Ranch ran to their aid and they were both rushed to the hospital with several injuries. Both died shortly after.
The Daily Mail reported that roughly 70 miles away, a charred body inside a sedan at Ayala Park in Chino was found and linked to the murder via a gun that was recovered from the scene. Though he hasn’t been identified, authorities believe it could be a family member who committed the crime. They also believe the suspect died by suicide.
Sergeant Rick Morton with Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement, “We were able to determine through law enforcement databases that that vehicle was actually in fact linked to our double homicide here in Simi Valley.”
The pair were utterly beloved by their community. Cordes served the area as a “compassionate” radiologist for over 30 years.
“The Adventist Health Simi Valley community is heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our longtime colleague, Dr Eric Cordes, and his wife, Vicki,” a spokesman of the company Cordes worked for told the Daily Mail. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him as we grieve this shocking loss.”
Schiller was a respected spin instructor for decades, and had built a community through her instruction. She had recently become a grandmother.
“We are in numb shock that our friend is gone. Earlier this year we were in Simi and took over her Thursday morning spin class, which was my old class. We took this pic and she let me teach it,” Raul Gomez wrote in a post on December 1. “…Our hearts are beyond broken. She had recently become a grandma. Our prayers go out to her daughter Courtney and her former husband Ray.”
Their niece, Kelly Cordes, also wrote a tribute to her uncle and aunt on Facebook and shared some candid pictures of the pair during happier times
Police confirmed that the residential neighborhood is likely not under attack as it appears it was an isolated, targeted crime.
