Valrico, FL – March 19,2025 – According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a 51-year-old man, Phillip Cordova, fatally shot his estranged wife’s boyfriend before likely taking his own life in a burning vehicle early Wednesday morning. Sheriff Chad Chronister detailed the incident at a news conference, noting Cordova had recently discovered his wife’s three-month relationship and sent her threatening texts about self-harm in the days prior.
Shortly before 4 a.m., deputies received two 911 calls from a home in the 2400 block of Drake Elm Terrace one from Cordova’s wife and another from their 12-year-old son, who hid in a closet. Dispatchers heard Cordova threaten the boyfriend, saying, “I’m going to kill you,” followed by gunshots. Deputies arrived within seven minutes, finding the boyfriend dead inside and a body, believed to be Cordova’s, in a nearby burning car. The remains are too charred for definitive identification. The boy was safely reunited with his mother, though Chronister emphasized the lasting trauma to the child’s sense of family.
Nothing further at this time.
