PHOENIX — Jury deliberations began Monday in the trial for Cleophus Cooksey, who is accused of a series of Phoenix-area killings in 2017.
The trial was pushed back repeatedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and opened earlier this year.
Cooksey is accused of murder and other charges stemming from a total of eight killings in Phoenix and nearby Glendale over a three-week span. If he is convicted, prosecutors will seek the death penalty. Cooksey has said the allegations against him are false and pleaded not guilty.
The first of the eight killings happened on Nov. 27, 2017. By that point, Cooksey had been out of prison for four months after serving time for his role in a 2001 strip club robbery that turned deadly.
Cooksey knew some of the victims intimately, but others were strangers. Most of the shootings happened in the evening and overnight. Police never released a motive but said Cooksey was responsible.
Parker Smith and Andrew Remillard were the first victims, shot while sitting inside a vehicle in a parking lot. Five days later, security guard Salim Richards was fatally shot on the way to his girlfriend’s apartment. Prosecutors say Cooksey and Richards fought physically and Cooksey walked away with Richards' gun and necklace.
Latorrie Beckford and Kristopher Cameron were killed in separate shootings at apartment complexes in Glendale.
Maria Villanueva was expected at her boyfriend’s apartment in Glendale, but police say Cooksey drove away with her in her vehicle. The next day, her body, naked from the waist down, was found in a Phoenix alley. Authorities say she had been sexually assaulted, and Cooksey’s DNA was found on her body.
Finally, on Dec. 17, 2017, Cooksey answered the door when officers acting on a report of gunshots showed up at his mother's apartment. Officers noticed a lot of blood.
Cooksey said he had cut his hand and was the only one home, according to police. Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nunn, were found dead. Before he was detained, police say, Cooksey threatened to slit an officer’s throat.
Another homicide, involving a victim named Jesus Real, was also connected to Cooksey.
