On the evening of May 27, 2020, Nicholas Cordova, a 40-year-old business owner in Gilbert, Arizona, was on a FaceTime call with his two young children from his office at Gilbert Air, his heating and cooling company. The call took an abrupt and terrifying turn when his children witnessed what appeared to be an assault on their father before the screen went white. His wife, Alysha, hearing muffled noises and yelling, immediately dialed 911.
When Gilbert Police arrived at the business located at 511 West Guadalupe Road, they found Nicholas Cordova deceased from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into his death revealed a chaotic scene. Cordova's business partner, David Sweetman, was present and told police that two men had entered the establishment. He claimed that one of the men knocked him unconscious while the other shot Cordova in what he described as a robbery. However, a significant amount of cash was reportedly left at the scene. One witness later recalled a loud and tense closed-door meeting between Cordova and Sweetman shortly before the incident.
Surveillance footage from the area showed two men in bright construction-style attire chasing Cordova out of his office and shooting him. They were seen fleeing in a distinctive two-tone red and silver Ford F-150 pickup truck. Shortly after the shooting, a surveillance camera at a nearby ARCO gas station captured images of a man believed to be one of the suspects. He was described as a stocky man, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with a heavy build. Despite the release of this footage to the public, this individual remains unidentified, and no arrests have been made in the years following the murder.
The case has been marked by the persistent efforts of Nicholas Cordova's family to find answers and bring his killers to justice. His widow, Alysha, has been a vocal advocate, creating the 'Noise for Nick' campaign on social media to keep his case in the public eye. The family has expressed immense frustration with the pace and transparency of the investigation, at times feeling that the case has been brushed aside. They have spoken at town council meetings, pleading for more action from the Gilbert Police Department. In their quest for leads, the family, in conjunction with Silent Witness, has offered a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved. The investigation remains ongoing, leaving a family devastated by a sudden and violent loss without the closure of justice.
