Phoenix (AP) – Arizona ju umpire convicted a man on Thursday on eight murders A series of deadly gunfires In 2017, in Metro Phoenix, which targeted the random victim and the defendant’s mother and stepfather over three weeks.
Phoenix Juju He also found crimes involving Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, tricking, sexual assault and armed robbery. The judgment portion of the trial begins Monday. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Victims in Phoenix and nearby Glendale include two men dead in a parked car, a security guard shot and a woman lured in a woman who was lured in an alley after her body was sexually assaulted.
Aspiring musician Cooksey knew some of the victims but had not known anyone else, police said. The authorities never provided any motivation.
Cooksey looked down at the defense table when the verdict was read. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial that began in May.
“He took my mom.”
Adriana Rodriguez, daughter of victim Maria Villanueva, said the day they feared never came after her family ruled that they had finally been closed.
“He took my mother, the only support system I had,” Rodriguez added as shed tears.
The murder began four months after Cooksey was released from prison on a manslaughter conviction for his participation in a 2001 strip club robbery, in which his accomplice was fatally shot and killed.
In 2015 and 2016, two other serial shooting cases sparked the fear of Metro Phoenix, urging some people to stay indoors after it got dark or away from the highway that occurred. Unlike these cases, Cooksey was accused of not having happened for several months and not generating publicity until his arrest.
A friend of Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nun, said the defendant deserves a death sentence. Eric Hampton said Cooksey grew up and attended a hearing Thursday to see if the accused showed sympathy for the victim.
“I thought he had a bit of a heart, but he actually doesn’t have a heart at all to do these things to people, and the worst part is killing your own mom,” Hampton said outside the courthouse.
“He’s a monster and just wants them to put him to sleep when the verdict stage of this is beyond that,” he added.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which indicted Cooksey, declined to comment on the verdict.
The Associated Press left a call and email message from Cooksey’s attorney, Robert Reinhardt.
The victim’s path
The first victims, Parker Smith, 21, and Andrew Lemilard, 27, were found on November 27, 2017. They were fatally shot while sitting in a car in the car park. Five days later, 31-year-old security guard Salim Richards was shot dead while walking to his girlfriend’s apartment.
Over the next two weeks, 29-year-old Ruttlelie Beckford and 21-year-old Christopher Cameron were killed in separate shootings in their Glendale apartment, while 43-year-old Villanueva’s body was found naked from her waist in an alley in Phoenix. Authorities said Cooksey’s DNA was found in her body.
Finally, on December 17, 2017, Cooksey answered the door when officers answered a shot filing call in his mother’s apartment. He told the officials that he realized that he had a lot of blood cutting his hands and was his only home. Police say when officers tried to rest him, Cooksey threatened to slash the officer’s throat. It has been revealed that 56-year-old Rene Cooksey and 54-year-old Nunn have died.
On the couch in the living room, investigators say they found Richards’ gun. Richards’ guns were later linked to the murders of Beckford, Cameron and Villanueva. The key to Villanueva’s vehicle was also found there, and police say Cooksey was wearing a Richards necklace when he was arrested.
Police also suspected Cooksey. The 9th murder – That of his ex-girlfriend brother. However, prosecutors ultimately refused to accused him of shooting Jesus’ death in his home in Avondale in December 2017.
Cooksey’s trial was repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic. In a handwritten letter to the judge in January 2020, Cooksey said he was in a hurry to prove that “my accusation is nothing more than a false accusation.” He said he was not a rapist or murderer: “I am a music artist.”
Previous serial shooting in Phoenix
Cooksey’s arrest followed two other consecutive shootings in Metro Phoenix.
In 2015, 11 shootings occurred on highways in the Phoenix area between late August and early September. No one was seriously injured, but was later charged against the only person charged.
The following lawsuit occurred over a period of nearly a year, ending in July 2016. Bus driver Aaron Juan Sauced was arrested in April 2017 and charged with first-degree murder in the attack that killed nine people.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Saucedo at a trial scheduled for December. He declared his innocence.
