Former University of South Carolina and UCONN basketball player Eric Cobb was arrested when he shot and killed his mother Erika Winford at his home in Jacksonville.
Authorities responded to the “disturbing scene” they described on Monday (February 10), and they found the 51-year-old woman was unresponsive and wrapped in a backyard blanket and towel. Cobb, 28, was detained when he tried to leave his residence.
Prison records show he was charged with second-degree murder and was denied Bond. The former college athlete, once highly respected prospect, had a troubled past that included legal issues.
UCONN EX basketball star Eric Cobb murders his mother 👩pic.twitter.com/qjzekdbwif, arrested
— Bigmanshanenews (@bigmanshane1) February 12, 2025
Cobb was fired by the South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team in 2015 after being arrested for allegedly shooting a car with a BB gun. Later, he played for Chipola College in Florida, before moving to the University of Connecticut, where he struggled to find his usual game time. Most recently, in October 2023, he was arrested for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
As the details emerge, it became clear that Cobb’s warning sign of mental instability was before the tragic killing. Police reports show that just days before her death, Wenford revealed to friends that she was afraid of her son, describing him as “own” and desperately needed medications she could not afford. A relative revealed that Cobb suffered from schizophrenia and at the end of 2022, police found him homeless and lying outside the apartment building.
Cobb lived with his mother and brother, Terrick Cobb until about six weeks ago, when Cobb allegedly cursed Winford, Terrick ) Move out. Friends reported that Wen Fude had been hesitating to go home, and some said she was “feared of her son”.
On Sunday night, neighbors recalled hearing six to seven shots between 7 and 8 p.m., but no one contacted the authorities. The next morning, a friend who spent Sunday with Winford tried to contact her by phone, but received no response. Worried, he drove to his home where he found blood near the back door and a pile of blankets in the backyard. After reminding another friend, they returned to the house and found a foot sticking out from under the blanket, causing Wenfude’s body to become grim.
Investigators found evidence of attempts to clean up the crime scene inside the house, including blood stains on separate refrigerators and bullet depressions in corridors. Searching the trash can outside, I found that the 14mm casing was spent 9mm in the garbage bag.
Cobb was still in custody as police continued to investigate the deadly shooting.
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