Cleophus Cooksey Jr.
This article reads like court report from 2018 or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (November 2024) |
Cleophus Cooksey Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cleophus Emmanuel Cooksey Jr. March 25, 1982 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Convictions | Armed robbery (4 counts) Manslaughter First degree murder (8 counts) Kidnapping (2 counts) Attempted sexual assault |
| Criminal penalty | Death (x6) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 8–9+ |
| State | Arizona |
Date apprehended | 2001 (first arrest) December 2017 (second arrest) |
Cleophus Emmanuel Cooksey Jr. (born March 25, 1982) is an American convicted serial killer and serial rapist who was found guilty in 2025 of killing eight people during a three-week killing spree in the Phoenix metropolitan area in late 2017. A Maricopa County jury sentenced him to death for six of those murders, while remaining undecided on the remaining two. He was also convicted of related crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual assault.[1][2]
Early life and prior convictions
[edit | edit source]Cooksey is a grandson of Tucson civil rights leader Roy L. Cooksey.[3]
Cooksey was convicted of manslaughter and armed robbery in 2001.[4] He was one of four men who attempted to rob a topless bar. Although the manager fatally shot one of Cooksey's accomplices and the shooting was deemed self-defense, under Arizona's felony murder law, Cooksey was held culpable because the death occurred during the commission of a crime.[5][6] Under an agreement, he plead guilty to manslaughter.
2017 murders and arrest
[edit | edit source]Cooksey was linked to nine murders and other crimes committed in Phoenix and surrounding areas during a 21-day span between November and December 2017. All nine victims were shot.[7]
On December 17, 2017, police responded to shots fired at the apartment where Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nunn, lived. They found both dead at the scene, and Cooksey was arrested nearby. Investigators reportedly found evidence and personal items belonging to other victims at the apartment.
Ballistics evidence, DNA testing, stolen jewelry, and a stolen mobile phone belonging to one of the victims linked Cooksey to the other seven murders.[8] Phoenix authorities say there is a "distinct possibility" of more victims. Investigations into unsolved murders are ongoing.[9]
Trial
[edit | edit source]Cooksey was represented by public defender Gary Beren.[10] His trial began on May 5, 2025.[11][12]
On September 25, Cooksey was convicted on eight murder charges.[13][14]
On December 18, Cooksey was sentenced to death.[15][16]
Victims
[edit | edit source]| # | Name | Age | Date of death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Remillard | 27 | November 27, 2017 | Fatally shot in a car with Parker Smith; motive unknown – left behind a child and wife |
| 2 | Parker Smith | 21 | November 27, 2017 | Fatally shot in a car with Andrew Remillard – motive unknown |
| 3 | Salim Richards | 35 | December 2, 2017 | Cooksey stole a Glock 9mm handgun |
| 4 | Jesus Real | 25 | December 11, 2017 | Brother of Cooksey's ex-girlfriend – left behind children – murder occurred in Avondale[17] |
| 5 | LaTorrie Beckford | 29 | December 13, 2017 | Motive unknown |
| 6 | Kristopher Cameron | 21 | December 16, 2017 | Murder occurred in Glendale – left behind an 11-month-old son and a second child on the way |
| 7 | Maria Villanueva | 43 | December 16, 2017 | Allegedly raped by Cooksey – left behind two daughters |
| 8 | Rene Cooksey | 56 | December 17, 2017 | Cooksey's mother |
| 9 | Edward Nunn | 54 | December 17, 2017 | Cooksey's stepfather |
Prosecutors did not charge Cooksey for the murder of Jesus Real.[18]
Related arrests
[edit | edit source]Phoenix police arrested three women: Desaree Coronado (aged 23) and sisters Griselda and Liliana Vasquez (ages 24 and 26, respectively), on one count each of hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence. Both are felonies. Coronado was the mother of Jesus Real's child. She was also charged with one misdemeanor count of false reporting to law enforcement. Liliana Vasquez is Cleophus Cooksey Jr.'s ex-girlfriend. Griselda Vasquez ultimately admitted to taking a mobile phone off Real's body. Police say they have evidence that Liliana's car was in the area of two of the murders.[19]
See also
[edit | edit source]- Capital punishment in Arizona
- List of death row inmates in the United States § Arizona
- List of serial killers in the United States
References
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- Living people
- 1982 births
- 21st-century African-American people
- American people convicted of murder
- American people convicted of manslaughter
- American people convicted of kidnapping
- American people convicted of attempted rape
- American people convicted of robbery
- American prisoners sentenced to death
- Prisoners sentenced to death by Arizona
- Serial killers from Arizona