Serial killer gets death sentence for string of murders in Phoenix

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An Arizona assemblage connected Thursday sentenced a antheral to decease successful a string of killings successful metro Phoenix during a three-week span successful 2017, marking the extremity of a seven-month proceedings implicit attacks that targeted random victims and the defendant's ain parent and stepfather.

Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was found guilty successful precocious September of execution successful 8 killings. He besides was convicted of kidnapping, equipped robbery and attempted intersexual battle charges stemming from the attacks successful Phoenix and adjacent Glendale.

Jurors sentenced Cooksey to decease successful six of the eight killings for which helium was convicted of murder. The assemblage was undecided connected the punishment for his convictions successful the killings of his parent and stepfather.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is considering whether to question a sentencing retrial connected the 2 execution convictions involving Cooksey's parent and stepfather oregon driblet the effort to question the decease punishment and fto a justice enforce beingness sentences connected those 2 counts.

"Anyone who questions wherefore we request the decease punishment needs to look nary further than this case," Mitchell said successful a statement. "It takes a peculiar benignant of evil to prey upon the susceptible and needlessly instrumentality the lives of 8 guiltless people. Death is the lone conscionable punishment for him, and we volition bash everything successful our powerfulness to spot it carried through."

The victims included 2 men recovered dormant successful a parked car, a information defender changeable portion walking to his girlfriend's flat and a pistillate who was kidnapped, her assemblage recovered successful an alley aft constabulary accidental she was sexually assaulted.

Authorities accidental they linked Cooksey to the killings done grounds recovered astatine his mother's flat successful the aftermath of her killing. That grounds included a weapon utilized successful respective of the killings, conveyance keys belonging to different unfortunate and a victim's necklace that Cooksey was wearing erstwhile helium was arrested, investigators said.

At the time, Phoenix constabulary credited precocious ballistic technology with helping nexus Cooksey to the murders.

Authorities ne'er offered a motive.

The Associated Press near telephone and email messages for defence lawyer Robert Reinhardt.

Cooksey, an aspiring musician, knew immoderate of the victims, but helium wasn't acquainted with others, constabulary said. He has maintained his innocence.

The archetypal victims, Parker Smith, 21, and Andrew Remillard, 27, were recovered Nov. 27, 2017. They had been fatally changeable portion sitting successful a conveyance successful a parking lot. Five days later, information defender Salim Richards, 31, was changeable to decease portion walking to his girlfriend's apartment.

Over the adjacent 2 weeks, Latorrie Beckford, 29, and Kristopher Cameron, 21, were killed successful abstracted shootings astatine flat complexes successful Glendale, and the assemblage of Maria Villanueva, 43, was recovered bare from the waist down successful an alley successful Phoenix. Authorities said Cooksey's DNA was recovered connected her body.

Beckford's mother, Anthia Wint, told CBS News in 2018 that Cooksey's apprehension gave her immoderate closure, but it inactive doesn't bring her lad back. "He had the volition for beingness and I can't ideate that he's not present anymore. Each and each time is precise hard," Wint said.

Finally, connected Dec. 17, 2017, Cooksey answered the doorway erstwhile officers responded to a shots-fired telephone astatine his mother's apartment. He told officers who had noticed a ample magnitude of humor that helium had chopped his manus and was the lone 1 home. Police accidental erstwhile an serviceman tried to detain him, Cooksey threatened to slit the officer's throat. Rene Cooksey, 56, and stepfather Edward Nunn, 54, were recovered dead.

Cooksey's apprehension followed 2 different serial shooting cases successful metro Phoenix.

In 2015, 11 shootings occurred connected Phoenix-area freeways betwixt precocious August and aboriginal September. No 1 was earnestly injured, and charges were aboriginal dismissed against the lone idiosyncratic charged.

The adjacent lawsuit occurred implicit astir a one-year play ending successful July 2016. Bus operator Aaron Juan Saucedo was arrested successful April 2017 and charged with first-degree execution successful attacks that killed 9 people.

Prosecutors are seeking the decease punishment against Saucedo, whose proceedings had been scheduled to commencement earlier this period but has been postponed until December 2026. He has declared his innocence.