PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man was sentenced to death Thursday in a series of deadly shootings that spanned three weeks in the Phoenix metropolitan area in 2017.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was convicted of eight murders in late September. Jurors agreed on the death penalty for six of the murders, but they have yet to decide the punishment for the deaths of Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nunn.
Prosecutors said they could seek the death penalty at a sentencing retrial or have the judge impose a life sentence.
Authorities never revealed a motive for the attack. Cooksey maintained his innocence during the month-long trial.
Here is the timeline of the serial killings:
November 27, 2017
Andrew Remillard, 27, and Parker Smith, 21, were found dead in a parked car in Phoenix with gunshot wounds to the head.
December 2, 2017
Salim Richards, 31, was shot and killed while walking in west Phoenix. His 9 mm Glock handgun and a necklace were missing.
December 13, 2017
Latorrie Beckford, 29, was found shot twice in the head in a common area of a Glendale apartment complex.
December 15, 2017
Police said 21-year-old Kristopher Cameron was shot as he arrived at a Glendale apartment complex to complete a drug deal with Cooksey.
December 15, 2017
About 90 minutes after Cameron was shot, Maria Villanueva, 43, parked her car at another complex 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. Surveillance cameras showed an unidentified man approaching her and driving away in Villanueva’s car with her in the passenger seat. The next morning, she was found half-naked and shot to death in a Phoenix alley.
December 17, 2017
After a shooting at a downtown Phoenix apartment, police found Cooksey at the scene and took him into custody after a brief argument. They found the bodies of his mother Rene Cooksey, 56, and her husband Edward Nunn, 54, behind the front door. Both were shot to death.
Investigators said they found Richards’ gun, which was later linked to the killings of Beckford, Cameron and Villanueva. Villanueva’s car keys were also found there, and police said Cooksey was wearing Richards’ necklace when he was arrested.