Arizona serial killings: Man sentenced to death in metro Phoenix spree

PHOENIX — Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was sentenced Thursday to death in a string of fatal shootings across metro Phoenix during a three-week stretch in 2017. He was found guilty in late September of eight murders, and jurors agreed on the death penalty in six of those cases while they were unable to reach a verdict on punishment for the deaths of his mother, Rene Cooksey, and his stepfather, Edward Nunn. Prosecutors said they could pursue a sentencing retrial or have a judge impose life sentences for those two counts. Authorities have not offered a motive for the attacks, and Cooksey has maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Authorities described a spree that unfolded across Phoenix and nearby communities in 2017. The killings began with Andrew Remillard, 27, and Parker Smith, 21, found dead in a parked car in Phoenix. In west Phoenix, Salim Richards, 31, was shot while walking; his 9 mm Glock handgun and a necklace disappeared. In Glendale, Latorrie Beckford, 29, was found shot in the head in the common area of an apartment complex. Kristopher Cameron, 21, was shot on arrival at a Glendale apartment to complete a drug transaction with Cooksey, police said. About 90 minutes later, Maria Villanueva, 43, parked at another complex and was found dead in a Phoenix alley the next morning, partially nude and shot to death. Surveillance video showed an unknown man approach her car and drive away in Villanueva’s vehicle with her in the front passenger seat. Police responding to gunfire at a central Phoenix apartment encountered Cooksey at the scene, and after a brief struggle took him into custody. Investigators later located Richards’ gun at the scene, linking it to the killings of Beckford, Cameron and Villanueva. The keys to Villanueva’s vehicle were found there as well, and Cooksey was wearing Richards’ necklace when arrested.

During the trial, prosecutors described the case as a coordinated campaign of violence linked by the weapon used in several killings and by the chain of evidence tying the gun, the necklace and the recovered vehicle keys. Cooksey’s defense argued that the state relied on circumstantial links and questioned the reliability of some evidence, while maintaining that he did not commit the crimes. He continued to insist on his innocence as jurors heard testimony about the scenes, forensic findings and the chronology of the spree. The jury’s verdicts reflected a split: six murders carried the death penalty, while the sentences for the two family killings were undecided.

Prosecutors have said they could seek a sentencing retrial on the two undecided counts or ask a judge to impose life sentences if a retrial is not pursued. The defense stressed the need for careful review of the evidence in those counts. The case highlights ongoing debate over capital punishment in Arizona, particularly in cases involving serial killings that span multiple cities within a metro area. Cooksey’s case drew national attention during the trial and related proceedings.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the killings, and Cooksey has maintained his innocence. The outcome marks a resolution for six of the eight killings, but the fate of the two undecided counts remains in limbo pending further court action. Families of victims have awaited closure since the spree, which prosecutors described as a calculated violence across Phoenix, Glendale and surrounding communities. The case stands as one of the most prominent capital-punishment prosecutions in recent Arizona history.