A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial killing as 'a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone'. Oct 13, 2006 Phoenix Police Asst Chief Bill Louis speaks about the arrest of 2 Phoenix, AZ serial killers. Jun 04, 2018 At least 6 victims now linked to dead serial killer suspect in Arizona. Share; Tweet Reddit.The hunt for a man suspected in up to six murders in Arizona came to.
Serial killer suspect accused of 9 murders caught in Arizona
Authorities link man to murders after finding his parents dead when responding to call of shots fired.
An Arizona man has been accused of a stunning murder spree in which he allegedly killed nine people in three weeks -- a rampage that would make him one of the most prolific serial killers in the state's history.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 35, was arrested on Dec. 17, 2017, after police responded to a call of shots fired in Phoenix. When officers arrived they found Cooksey’s mother and stepfather dead. Cooksey was not linked to the other homicides until he was in custody, police said Thursday.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr. was jailed for 16 years but has been in out of jail since his release, police said. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators used shell casings to link the other murders, police said. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said new technology allowed officers to determine the evidence was linked to the suspect quickly.
Cooksey was charged with a total of nine counts of first degree murder, as well as being a prohibited possessor, theft of a firearm, armed robbery and sexual assault, police said.
Cooksey's other alleged victims include the brother of his ex-girlfriend and various men and women of black, white and Hispanic race and ethnicity, AZ Central reported.
The victims include:
- Two men, Andrew Remillard, 27, and Parker Smith, 21, who were discovered dead Nov. 27.
- One man, Salim Richards, 35, was found critically wounded on Dec. 2, and later died at the scene. It was not immediately clear if Richards knew the suspect. Police said there were signs of a robbery at the crime scene and a handgun appeared to have been taken.
- On Dec. 11, Jesus Bonifacio Real, 25, the brother of Cooksey’s former girlfriend, was killed.
- On Dec. 13, Latorrie Beckford, 29, was shot and killed.
- On Dec. 16, 2017, Kristopher Cameron, 21, was discovered shot to death in a field. Police said Cameron appeared to have met with the suspect for a drug interaction. On the same day, Maria Villanueva, 43, was found dead. Villanueva was allegedly kidnapped from her car after the suspect approached her vehicle. The two allegedly drove off before Villanueva was found dead with signs of sexual assault, police said.
Police released pictures of the victims. (Phoenix Police Department)
- On Dec. 17, Rene Cooksey, 56, the suspect’s mother, and his stepfather, Edward Nunn, 54, were shot and killed. Cooksey was then arrested.
Cooksey has a long criminal history, AZ Central reported. The suspect was convicted of manslaughter when he was 18. While in prison, he was found guilty of assaulting prison employees, drug possession and fighting. He was released from prison in January 2015 and received a DUI in November of that year.
The suspect took up rapping following his prison release, going by the name 'King Playbola.' He posted videos on YouTube of his music.
Cooksey was arrested again in May 2016 on a 'technical violation' and went back to prison. He was freed on June 20, 2016, but was arrested and booked in December due to another arrest warrant. On July 28, 2017, Cooksey was released. Four months later, he allegedly engaged in the killing spree.
Cooksey, the grandson of civil-rights leader Roy L. Cooksey, reportedly had a troubled childhood. He reportedly moved out when he was 16 years old. The suspect said he was abused by his father and was hospitalized when he was 12 years old.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office will decide what Cooksey will be charged with during the investigation. Police have asked the public for any information about the suspect or deaths.
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ByTracy Connor
Police hunting a serial killer in Phoenix, Arizona, thought his string of crimes had ended in mid-June when he ambushed and fatally shot two women and a 12-year-old girl in their driveway.
But investigators announced Wednesday that they have added a ninth shooting to the pattern — a July 11 incident in which the gunman fired at a man and a 4-year-old boy sitting in a car. Neither was injured.
The new incident means that the shooter — who had already murdered seven people — tried to kill again even after police had put the city on alert.
Manhunt for Phoenix Serial Killer Intensifies
July 14, 201601:36'The threat is still alive,' Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said on Friday.
'We don't want to see anybody else get hurt. We want to make an arrest and stop this,' he added. 'We're fortunate in this new incident that nobody was injured.'
But, he added, 'if there can be a benefit to something like this, it's that we did obtain additional evidence.'
Based on witness statements, detectives now believe the suspect has access to several cars — one appears to be a white Cadillac or Lincoln, and the other is a late '90s or early 2000s 5 series BMW.
Howard said investigators have looked into whether the gunman works as a mechanic or on a used car lot. The motive for the shootings remains as elusive as his name.
'Why? Why? I know I'll never understand,' said Sylvia Ellis, whose daughter Stefanie and granddaughter Maleah were killed in a June 12 shooting.
She asked for anyone with any information about who the suspect might be to contact police.
'Help us,' she said. 'We don't want any more lives lost. He needs to be caught.'
Although police have added several shootings to the pattern since it was originally announced, Howard said they are 'pretty confident' they now have uncovered all the reported incidents.
In each case, the victims were attacked near their car or home, in the evening or very early morning hours, in the working-class Maryvale section of Phoenix.
Law-enforcement sources say there is physical evidence tying the shootings together.
The earlier shootings include:
- A 16-year-old boy wounded while walking in the street at 11:30 p.m. on March 17
- A 21-year-old male shot standing near his car on the street at 11:30 p.m. on March 18
- Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, 21, killed April 1 while visiting his pregnant fiancée's family
- Krystal Annette White, 55, found dead of a gunshot on April 19
- Horacio Pena, 32, fatally shot June 3 after returning home from his job at a group home
- Manuel Castro Garcia, 19, murdered outside his home on June 10
- Stefanie Ellis, 33, her 12-year-old daughter Maleah and friend Angela Linner, 31, killed outside their home on June 12
- An unoccupied car shot up at 2:35 a.m. on June 12.
Tracy Connor is a senior writer for NBC News. She started this role in December, 2012. Connor is responsible for reporting and writing breaking news, features and enterprise stories for NBCNews.com. Connor joined NBC News from the New York Daily News, where she was a senior writer covering a broad range of news and supervising the health and immigration beats. Prior to that she was an assistant city editor who oversaw breaking news and the courts and entertainment beats.
Earlier, Connor was a staff writer at the New York Post, United Press International and Brooklyn Paper Publications.
Serial Killer In Phoenix Az
Connor has won numerous awards from journalism organizations including the Deadline Club and the New York Press Club.
She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.