ARIZONA — Phoenix police say a convicted felon who was charged in the killing of his mother and stepfather is also tied to seven more slayings.
35-year-old Cleophus Cooksey Jr. was arrested December 17th, the same day as the double-murder.
AZ Central reported: A month later, police say they have linked Cooksey to as many as seven other unsolved homicides in metro Phoenix, including killings in a south Phoenix alley, at Glendale apartment complexes and in grassy fields.
Although all were committed in late 2017, the killings were scattershot, included victims in a variety of demographic groups, occurred at various locations throughout the Phoenix area and lacked a unifying pattern or method.
In addition to the murders of his mother and stepfather, Cooksey is accused of abducting a woman in Glendale, sexually assaulting and killing her, then dumping her body in south Phoenix.
Another victim is the brother of Cooksey’s ex-girlfriend, police said. Other victims seem to be random, shot during meetings set up online.
Police said ballistics testing on Cooksey’s gun and other evidence led them to one body after another, and detectives haven’t ruled out the possibility of more victims.
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