ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County detectives said Wednesday they had secured a warrant for a murder charge against Cory Hill, the estranged husband of a Winter Springs mother whom he’s accused of fatally shooting inside a storage unit last week.
Shakeria Yvonne Rucker was reported missing on Nov. 11, one day before a person matching her description was seen on surveillance video in the passenger seat of a Mercedes-Benz being driven by Hill into a storage facility at 2400 Wiggins Road, according to the affidavit.
Around 7 a.m., fewer than 20 minutes after it arrived, Hill’s vehicle was seen leaving the facility with no one in the passenger seat, investigators said. Hill told Rucker’s inquiring family around this time that she wasn’t with him, detectives said, adding someone texted from Rucker’s phone at 6:46 a.m. to claim she was on her way back home. The affidavit clarifies that cellphone data disproves this, as does “the fact Rucker was never seen leaving the storage unit she was found deceased in.”
Hill was arrested Nov. 13 after arriving to his girlfriend’s house the day prior and attempting to kill her just hours after leaving the storage facility, detectives said. He reportedly fired several bullets into the residence, broke a window and gained entry to the home, now facing charges of burglary, two counts of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the incident.
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Hill was named a person of interest in Rucker’s disappearance on Nov. 14. Searches were conducted in four Central Florida counties throughout the rest of the week as Hill reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators. Come Saturday however, deputies said they had just concluded a search in Mount Dora before responding to a 911 call from the storage facility “in reference to an odor coming from one of the storage units.”
Rucker’s body was found inside the storage unit, which investigators said was registered to Hill. Inside the unit were four spent 9mm cartridge casings — one of which was in Rucker’s hair — as well as blood on the ground and walls, the affidavit describes. Detectives said there was no evidence to suggest Hill was shot somewhere outside the storage unit and later moved inside, adding it appeared that Hill attempted to hide Rucker’s body by placing two tires in front of her body.
On Tuesday, forensic analysis of the shell casings from the storage unit and from the home invasion identified them as a match, detectives said.
In summary, investigators said it could be deduced “Hill killed Rucker and then attempted to kill the female he had an extramarital affair with.”
Rucker had recently discovered her estranged husband had been in a romantic relationship and living with another female. Rucker and the paramour learned they had both been deceived by Hill.
Cory Hill | Affidavit for arrest warrant | 11/22/23 | OSCO 23-69463 (exerpt)
Hill appeared in court Thursday morning. There, a judge found probable cause for Hill’s arrest, he was appointed a public defender, he was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and he was granted no bond amount.
Victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24 hours a day, at 800-799-7233.
In Central Florida, the Harbor House offers a 24-hour confidential crisis hotline at 407-886-2856.
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