Arizona jury convicts man on 8 murder charges for metro Phoenix shootings in 2017

Source: AP

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and SEJAL GOVINDARAO
Updated 2:46 PM CDT, September 25, 2025

Phoenix (AP) — An Arizona jury convicted a man Thursday on eight murder charges for a string of fatal shootings in metro Phoenix over a three-week span in 2017.

The jury in Phoenix also found Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, guilty of crimes including kidnapping, sexual assault and armed robbery. The sentencing portion of the trial begins Monday. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The victims in Phoenix and nearby Glendale included Cooksey’s mother and stepfather, a security guard walking to his girlfriend’s apartment and a woman whose body was found in an alley after she was sexually assaulted. Cooksey, an aspiring musician, knew some of the victims but wasn’t acquainted with others, authorities said.

He maintained the allegations against him were false, and looked down at the defense table as the verdict was read.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-murder-trial-d0f297b4a87c8a06c673a40f631fca5b