JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New documents obtained by First Coast News are shedding light into the months leading up to the death of a Jacksonville woman, whose son is now facing charges in connection with her murder.

Erika Winford, 51, was found shot to death in the backyard of a home in the Durkeeville area, on W. 15th Street, Monday morning, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. 

Her son, 28-year-old Eric Christopher Cobb, who played three seasons of college basketball for UConn and South Carolina, was detained by police at the scene Monday after officers found Winford’s body wrapped in blankets in her backyard, an arrest report states. 

Police said Winford suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her head, stomach and left leg.

The report states that one of Winford’s friends attempted to contact her Monday, but received no answer. The friend went to her home and knocked on the front door, with no answer, the report states. He then went into the backyard and saw a “large amount of blood” on the rear doorstep and noticed a pile of blankets in the driveway.

The friend then left to go to the residence of another one of Winford’s friends. The pair returned to her home and knocked on the front door again, but there was no response. After the pair left, one of them returned to the victim’s home “because of the blood she saw,” the report states, and found Winford’s body.

The report indicates Cobb lived with Winford at the residence where her body was found. Cobb appeared to be living in the living room of the residence, where officers located an AR-style rifle and a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, according to the report.

Investigators found 14 spent 9mm shell casings inside a trash bag which was inside a trash can in front of the victim’s home, the report states.

One of Winford’s friends told police she was afraid of Cobb; the report said the victim told her friend the day before her death that she didn’t want to go home because she was scared of her son. 

The report states that Winford told her friend Cobb was “possessed” and needed medication that she could not afford. The friend told police the victim said Cobb “had been angry lately.”

Several neighbors reported hearing screaming and gunshots the night of the murder, though, no one called 911.

The report also states Winford had another son who lived with Cobb and her, just until one-and-a-half months ago. The son told police he moved out because Cobb “cursed out” the victim, the report states.

Cobb is now charged with second-degree murder in his mother’s death.

First Coast News has reached out to Cobb’s attorney for comment.

Online court records show Winford sent letters advocating for her son’s character in a previous criminal case in 2023 in which Cobb was arrested and charged with resisting an officer with violence.

On Oct. 21, 2023, officers were dispatched to Franklin Street in reference to a “combative individual,” who was later identified as Cobb, an arrest report states. The officers were assisting members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department who were already on scene. The report states Cobb was “laying on the ground and appeared to be incoherent.”

Officers asked Cobb if he was OK and asked him to leave the premises, which police said he refused. During efforts to assist Cobb to his feet, police say he yelled “Hancock” and punched one responding officer in the face. 

Cobb was then detained in handcuffs, and placed in the officer’s patrol vehicle. 

Records show Winford sent a letter dated Nov. 27, 2023, to the judge presiding over her son’s case advocating on her son’s behalf. 

In the letter, Winford says she reached out to police the morning of her son’s arrest and expressed “concern about his mental health breakdown.” She claims an officer who answered her call to JSO’s non-emergency line “dismissed” her concerns. 

“It was only through a call from my daughter that I learned of Eric’s detainment,” Winford wrote. 

She continued, writing she wanted to “provide some insight into Eric’s character,” describing her son as a “God-fearing, intelligent, and respectful individual— a gentle giant.”

Winford added that Cobb was a graduate of the University of Connecticut and was involved in community service. She said Cobb played professional basketball in Croatia before returning to the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Reflecting on the events leading to Eric’s arrest, I strongly believe that he experienced a mental breakdown due to the challenges he faces in his current situation,” Winford wrote. “His unwavering dedication to basketball, coupled with the abrupt disruption caused by the pandemic, has seemingly taken a toll on his mental well-being.”

The letter continues, with Winford asking the judge to consider Eric’s background, achievements and character before “making any decisions that could profoundly impact his future.”

Winford’s letter noted that Cobb “never exhibited violent tendencies.”

Since his 2023 arrest, court records show Cobb underwent competency evaluations to determine if he was competent to proceed to trial. Records show Cobb was adjudged competent to proceed to trial by a “qualified expert,” on April 16, 2024.

In a separate letter to the members of the Appellate Court, dated May 8, 2024, Winford wrote she was concerned about the “unjust treatment” her son “endured at the hands of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department and the justice system.”

She argued her son’s actions during his arrest were made by someone in distress, they were not criminal and he was a “victim of circumstance,” the letter obtained by First Coast News states.

“Eric’s right to a speedy trial has been egregiously violated, as his court hearings have been repeatedly prolonged, ostensibly for the purpose of evaluating his mental health,” Winford wrote.

Online court records dated June 12, 2024, state Cobb was released on his own recognizance. A condition of Cobb’s bond stated he would only be released to his father, Terrance Cobb, records show.

Terrance Cobb told First Coast News his son was staying with him, but he got mad and moved in with his mother around Christmas.

Cobb’s 2023 case remains open, online court records indicate.

If you or someone you know needs help in a domestic violence situation, Hubbard House has a 24-hour hotline and text line. The hotline number is 904-354-3114 and the text line number is 904-210-3698.

If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis and needs help right away: Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts can reach the suicide prevention lifeline 24/7 by calling or texting 988.

Children and teens can call the Wolfson Children’s Hospital free mental health hotline at any time at 904-202-7900, or text the word “Life” to 741-741 and a counselor will text you back.