A serial killer who terrorised the Phoenix metropolitan area during a brutal three-week spree in late 2017 has been sentenced to death by an Arizona jury.
The Verdict and the Charges
After a seven-month trial, Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was handed the ultimate penalty on Thursday 18 December 2025 for a series of seemingly random attacks that left eight people dead. The aspiring musician was found guilty in late September on eight counts of murder, alongside convictions for kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual assault related to incidents in Phoenix and the neighbouring city of Glendale.
The jury decided on a death sentence for six of the eight murders. They remained undecided on the appropriate punishment for the killings of his own mother, 56-year-old Rene Cooksey, and his stepfather, 54-year-old Edward Nunn.
A Trail of Violence and Victims
The killing spree began on 27 November 2017, when Parker Smith, 21, and Andrew Remillard, 27, were discovered fatally shot in a parked car. Just five days later, security guard Salim Richards, 31, was shot dead while walking to his girlfriend's apartment.
The violence continued over the following fortnight. Latorrie Beckford, 29, and Kristopher Cameron, 21, were killed in separate shootings at Glendale apartment complexes. The body of Maria Villanueva, 43, was found partially naked in a Phoenix alley; authorities later confirmed Cooksey's DNA was present on her body.
The spree ended on 17 December 2017, when police responding to a shots-fired call at his mother's apartment encountered Cooksey at the door. He claimed a hand injury explained the blood, but officers discovered his mother and stepfather dead inside. Police stated Cooksey threatened to slit an officer's throat during his arrest.
Evidence, Motive, and Aftermath
Investigators linked Cooksey to the crimes through evidence recovered from his mother's apartment. This included a firearm used in multiple killings, vehicle keys belonging to a victim, and a victim's necklace he was wearing upon arrest. Authorities have never publicly established a motive for the attacks. Cooksey, who knew some victims but not others, has maintained his innocence.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is now considering whether to seek a retrial for the death penalty in the killings of Cooksey's parents or accept life sentences for those counts. In a strong statement, Mitchell said, "Anyone who questions why we need the death penalty needs to look no further than this case. It takes a special kind of evil to prey upon the vulnerable... Death is the only just punishment for him."
This case followed two other serial shooting incidents in the Phoenix area. In a 2015 freeway shooting case, charges were eventually dismissed. In a separate series ending in 2016, bus driver Aaron Juan Saucedo was charged with nine murders; prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty in that case, with a trial postponed until December 2026.
