PHOENIX — A Maricopa County jury has found Cleophus Cooksey guilty in connection with a series of killings in Phoenix and Glendale in 2017.
The verdict against Cooksey was read on Thursday, with jurors finding Cooksey guilty of all charges.
Watch jurors read the verdict in the video player below
Cooksey was found guilty on all 14 counts:
1 - Murder - guilty
2 - Murder - guilty
3 - Murder- guilty
4 -Armed robbery - guilty
5 - Murder - guilty
6- Murder - guilty
7 - Robbery - guilty
8 - Murder - guilty
9 - Kidnapping - guilty
10 - Sex assault attempt - guilty
11 - Armed robbery - guilty
12 - Murder - guilty
13 - Murder - guilty
14 - Kidnapping - guilty
Prosecutors have previously said they will seek the death penalty against Cooksey for the string of murders in the West Valley for which he has been convicted.
The same jury will weigh aggravating and mitigating factors that will be used to determine a criminal sentence.
During court on Thursday, family and friends of the eight victims cried and wiped their eyes while the jury’s verdict was read. One family member was so overcome by emotion that she had to leave the courtroom.
Many stayed until the end.
Adriana Rodriguez is the daughter of victim, Maria Villaneuva.
“It’s something that I’m still not coping with. And I don’t think I’ll ever cope with it,” said Adriana Rodriguez, the daughter of victim Maria Villaneuva, in an interview outside the courthouse.
“I mean, he took my mom.”
Eric Hampton was friends with Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Ed Nunn. He said he especially misses them during football season when everyone used to gather to watch games.
He felt he needed to be there as the verdict was read.
He described it as an extremely sad day.
“At least everybody is getting a little bit of closure with the fact that he was found guilty of all charges,” he said.
Cooksey is accused of murder and other charges stemming from a total of eight killings in Phoenix and nearby Glendale over a three-week span.
Cooksey had said the allegations against him are false and pleaded not guilty. His attorney maintained there are no eyewitnesses to the murders and that forensic evidence found at the scenes is unreliable.
The first of the eight murders happened on Nov. 27, 2017. At the time, Cooksey had been out of prison for four months after serving time for his role in a 2001 deadly strip club robbery.
Cooksey knew some of the victims intimately, but others were strangers. Most of the shootings happened in the evening and overnight. Police never released a motive, but they said Cooksey was responsible for the killings.
Phoenix man accused of killing 9 people
Maria Villanueva was expected at her boyfriend’s apartment in Glendale, but police say Cooksey kidnapped her and stole her vehicle. The next day, her body, partially naked, was found in a Phoenix alley. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted, and Cooksey’s DNA was found on her body.
Finally, on Dec. 17, 2017, Cooksey answered the door when officers acting on a report of gunshots showed up at his mother's apartment. Officers noticed a lot of blood.
Cooksey said he had cut his hand and was the only one home, according to police. Cooksey’s mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nunn, were found dead.
Before he was detained, police say, Cooksey threatened to slit an officer’s throat.Another homicide, involving a victim named Jesus Real, was also connected to Cooksey.
The jury returns on Monday for the next phase of the trial, which could take several days.
