PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona jury on Thursday sentenced a man to death in a string of killings that terrorized metro Phoenix over a three-week period in 2017. The verdict brings closure to a harrowing case involving random victims as well as Cooksey's own mother and stepfather.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, received the death sentence for six of the eight murders for which he was convicted, including high-profile cases that drew significant media attention. He was found guilty of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual assault during a trial that lasted over seven months.
The jury, however, was undecided on the punishment for the two murders involving Cooksey’s mother and stepfather, leading prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to consider a sentencing retrial or opting for life sentences instead.
The killings included two men shot while seated in a parked vehicle, a security guard killed while walking to his girlfriend's apartment, and a woman abducted and later found dead. The breadth and brutality of Cooksey's actions have prompted widespread discussions about the use of the death penalty.
Authorities connected Cooksey to these murders via evidence from his apartment that included a weapon used in multiple killings and personal items belonging to victims. Despite claiming his innocence, police maintained that his DNA was found at the scenes.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell emphasized the severity of the crimes: Anyone who questions why we need the death penalty needs to look no further than this case. It takes a special kind of evil to prey upon the vulnerable and needlessly take the lives of eight innocent people.
The Cooksey case has reignited debates around the ethics of capital punishment in the U.S. as it positions itself amidst other notorious serial killings in Arizona's recent history, which have similarly underscored challenges faced by law enforcement in addressing such violent crimes.
