An Arizona jury has sentenced a man to death for a series of murders that took place in metro Phoenix over three weeks in 2017, bringing an end to a seven-month trial. The crimes targeted random victims as well as the defendant’s own mother and stepfather.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr. , 43, was found guilty in late September of eight counts of murder.
He was also convicted on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual assault related to the attacks in Phoenix and nearby Glendale. The jury sentenced Cooksey to death for six of the eight murders he was convicted of.
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However, they could not reach a decision on the punishment for his convictions in the killings of his mother and stepfather. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is now considering whether to seek a retrial on sentencing for the two murder convictions involving Cooksey’s mother and stepfather or to abandon the pursuit of the death penalty and allow a judge to impose life sentences on those two counts…