Justice Served: Death Penalty for Phoenix Serial Killer

Fri Dec 19 2025 16:47:33 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

An Arizona jury has sentenced Cleophus Cooksey Jr. to death for the murders of eight individuals in a series of violent attacks in Metro Phoenix between November and December 2017.

Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was found guilty and sentenced to death for the murder of numerous victims in Phoenix over a span of three weeks in 2017. The jury concluded Cooksey's actions were heinous, leading to his execution penalty for six of the eight killings he committed. As the community reflects on the tragic events, authorities are deliberating the further implications of Cooksey's sentencing, especially regarding the murders of his mother and stepfather.

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona jury has handed down a death sentence to Cleophus Cooksey Jr., marking the conclusion of a seven-month trial that detailed a series of eight brutal killings committed across metro Phoenix over three weeks in late 2017. The convictions included the grisly murders of Cooksey's own mother and stepfather.

Cooksey, 43, was found guilty of murder in late September, as well as kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual assault resulting from the attacks. The jury's decision listed the death penalty for six of the eight murder counts; they remained undecided concerning the sentences for the killings of Cooksey’s mother and stepfather.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is contemplating whether to pursue a retrial for sentencing in those two specific murder convictions or opt for life sentences without parole, foregoing the death penalty.

The killing spree included a diverse array of victims: two men found shot dead in a parked vehicle, a security guard killed outside his girlfriend's apartment, and a woman abducted and discovered in an alley after suffering horrific fate.

Authorities built a case against Cooksey by collecting crucial evidence from his mother's apartment post-murder, which included a firearm linked to several killings and personal items belonging to victims. This led to his arrest on December 17, 2017, after a police response to a 'shots fired' call revealed a scene marred by violence.

Throughout the trial, Cooksey maintained his innocence, claiming he was wrongfully accused despite the damning evidence. Meanwhile, community sentiments echoed loudest in Mitchell's statement, stressing the necessity for capital punishment to serve justice against Cooksey's “evil” acts.

A poignant remark made by Mitchell resonates in the aftermath: 'It takes a special kind of evil to prey upon the vulnerable and needlessly take the lives of eight innocent people.' As the community comes to terms with this judgment, the gruesome actions of this serial killer are now forever etched in Phoenix’s history.