Ex-UConn basketball player, 28, charged with murdering mother
A former college basketball player has been arrested in Florida and charged with the murder of his 51-year-old mother, who was found wrapped in a blanket in the backyard of a Jacksonville home, police said Tuesday.
Eric Christopher Cobb, 28, was arrested and booked into the Duval County Jail and is facing one count of murder in the second degree after police say he was caught attempting to flee a home where his mother appeared to have been fatally shot.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it responded to a "disturbing scene" in the Mid-Westside area on Monday where they discovered Erika Winford "unresponsive, wrapped in a blanket and towels in the backyard" of the residence.
Law enforcement said Winford appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cobb was arrested shortly after while attempting to flee the home, the sheriff's office said.
According to the CT Post, neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots and a woman screaming on the previous night. The following day, a friend of the victim came to the home to check on her after not being able to get in contact with her. When she arrived at the home, she found large areas of blood outside the home and what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket.
"Your JSO will work closely with the State Attorney's Office to seek justice for Ms. Winford's family in the wake of this tragic crime," law enforcement said in a news release.
Cobb played basketball at the University of Connecticut from 2017-2019. In his junior year, he had five starts in 15 games, averaging 1.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. The following year, he appeared in 32 games, averaging 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds.
He previously played one season at South Carolina where he appeared in 24 games and averaged 1.1 points and 1.9 rebounds.
According to online records, Cobb remains in custody awaiting trial.
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