JACKSONVILLE, FL – A former college basketball player, known for his stints at the University of South Carolina and the University of Connecticut, is facing serious charges following the death of his mother in Jacksonville.
Officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrived at a residence on 15th Street West around 8 a.m. on Monday. They found 51-year-old Erika Winford unresponsive, covered in blankets and towels in the backyard, with apparent gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel declared her dead at the scene.
Her son, 28-year-old Eric Cobb, was apprehended trying to discreetly exit the home. He has been accused of second-degree murder, with formal charges pending from the State Attorney’s Office.
According to investigators, a concerned friend of Winford’s had gone to check on her after failed attempts to reach her by phone. The friend discovered Winford’s body lying in a pool of blood. Two neighbors reported hearing unsettling noises the previous evening: one recalled a woman’s desperate cries, “he’s going to kill me,” while another heard multiple gunshots around the same time. Despite these alarming sounds, neither neighbor contacted authorities immediately.
Eric Cobb, standing at 6 feet 9 inches and weighing 240 pounds, last played for UConn in the 2018-19 season, recording an average of just over 12 points per game. His tenure with UConn was marked by some disciplinary issues, including a suspension for conduct harmful to the team.
Cobb’s college basketball journey began at South Carolina, but he left after being implicated in an incident involving the firing of a BB gun at an occupied vehicle. Afterward, he played at a junior college in Florida before joining UConn.
Raised in Jacksonville, Cobb completed his high school career at St. Francis Academy in Baltimore. He was esteemed as a four-star recruit and ranked 21st among power forwards in 2015, showcasing significant promise in his early career.
Cobb is currently held without bond at the Duval County Jail as legal proceedings continue.