EL PASO, Texas ( ) — The family of retired FBI Agent Julio Cordero is struggling to come to terms with what led up to his death after an encounter with an El Paso Independent School District Police Officer early Thursday morning, Aug. 22 at Franklin High School. Cordero, 56, was killed at the school around 5:45 a.
m. after an EPISD PD officer allegedly found him vandalizing the school his oldest son attends as a senior. Days after his death, his family says they still haven’t been formally notified of his death by investigating agencies or given information on when they can begin to plan his funeral.
Cordero was born into a family of eight children to working-class parents who instilled in their children the importance of education. After all eight graduated from Bel Air High School, three Cordero boys — Pete, Marco, and Julio — joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1990s. During his decorated career as an FBI agent, Cordero won numerous awards, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for leading the investigation of Operation Poisoned Pawns.
The investigation brought about more than 40 convictions of prominent El Pasoans in a web of massive public corruption. The convictions included former County Judge Anthony Cobos, local attorney Luther Jones, and other notable business leaders and elected officials in El Paso. While Cordero’s career progressed, his personal life began to unravel.
In 2014, a suicidal man jumped in front of C.