Nick Cordova: Killed on FaceTime with his Children
Case File — Unsolved Murder
"I wouldn't be surprised if this guy hired someone to kill me."
— Nick Cordova, to his wife Alysha — weeks before he was murderedA friend warns him the co-owner, Dave Sweetman, is shady. Nick is confident in his own work ethic and moves forward anyway. He becomes half-owner in 2018.
Six months before his murder, Nick tells Alysha he feels surveilled. She reassures him.
Dave withdraws $30,000 from the company account — something he's never done. He tells Nick it's a debt he'll repay before payroll. Nick tells Alysha he wants out of the business.
Dave hasn't replaced the first $30,000. He takes another $15,000. Nick tells Alysha he suspects Dave is doing something illegal and doesn't want to know what it is.
Nick tells Alysha he feels watched again — and then says, almost half-joking: "I wouldn't be surprised if this guy hired someone to kill me." He mentions for the first time that Dave had suggested they take out life insurance policies on each other.
Nick was originally due in the office but stays home for one more family day. Dave spends the day asking the receptionist where Nick is and when he's coming in — pacing, leaving and returning repeatedly.
Nick is on FaceTime with his children when two men enter the office. His five-year-old daughter Capri brings the phone to her mother and says: "Something's wrong with Dad." Alysha calls 911 and drives to the shop. Nick is already gone.
One minute after the shooting, the outdoor camera captures two suspects leaving in a red and silver Ford F-150. Two minutes later, one is captured on a nearby gas station camera — one of the clearest suspect photos in any unsolved murder case.
Police sit on the clearest image they have for nearly a month before releasing it publicly. The critical early window is gone.
Five days after Nick's murder, Dave texts Alysha asking her to sign life insurance paperwork. He tells her she'll receive around $500,000. When Alysha investigates, she finds two policies totaling $8 million.
When Alysha's lawyer is ready to file the insurance claim, the insurance company says they've already received her signed documents. Alysha never signed anything. She files a police report. No charges are filed.
Six years later, Nick's murder remains unsolved. The Arizona Attorney General's office is reviewing allegations of corruption and possible destruction of police records. Gilbert PD denies the allegations and says the case is active.
"Something's wrong with Dad."
— Capri Cordova, age 5 — bringing the FaceTime call to her mother after her father was shotDave told police he gave the intruders everything he had on him. Officers found $1,000 cash in his jacket pocket during the pat-down. He backtracked and said he meant everything in his pants pockets.
Surveillance footage shows Dave peeking through the blinds as the suspect vehicle pulls up outside — then walking back into the office where Nick was on FaceTime with his kids.
Dave withdrew $30,000, then another $15,000 from the company account in the months before Nick's death. He said he had a debt to pay. He never replaced it.
Dave told Alysha her share of the life insurance was $500,000. She found two policies totaling $8 million. He had been lying about the payout from the start.
In 2013, Dave's wife Laura — who had recorded him threatening to kill her — was found dead in their bathtub. Ruled accidental drowning. Dave was home. He inherited her life insurance and the family home.
Weeks before his murder, Nick told Alysha almost word for word: "I wouldn't be surprised if this guy hired someone to kill me." He knew. And no one stopped it.
