Jury to hear verdict in eight Phoenix-area killings case
Delay-filled trial over seven years culminates as prosecutors prepare to seek the death penalty if convicted
PHOENIX — A man charged with eight murders in the Phoenix metro area is set to hear a jury’s verdict on Thursday in a trial that stretched more than seven years because of pandemic-related delays. Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, faces murder and related charges tied to shootings in Phoenix and nearby Glendale over a three-week span in 2017. If convicted, prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. Cooksey has pleaded not guilty, insisting the accusations are false.
Authorities say the killings unfolded over three weeks in late 2017, with the first fatal shooting occurring Nov. 27, 2017. By then, Cooksey had been out of prison for four months after serving time for a 2001 strip-club robbery that turned deadly. Some victims were known to him; others were strangers. Police have not publicly released a motive.
The case began to crystallize after police were called to a blood-spattered apartment, where they arrested Cooksey on suspicion of killing his mother and stepfather. Investigators said evidence found at the scene linked him to four other killings, including a gun used in several of the crimes, a necklace belonging to a victim, and the vehicle keys of a woman whose partially nude body was found in an alley.
Cooksey has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty if he is found guilty. The trial and related proceedings have been marked by repeated delays tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the timeline far beyond initial expectations. The verdict, now anticipated by jurors, will close a chapter that drew widespread attention and touched on broader questions about capital punishment in Arizona.