Cleophus Cooksey Jr.: The Phoenix-Area Serial Killer
Overview
Cleophus Emmanuel Cooksey Jr. is an Arizona serial killer connected to a violent series of shootings across the Phoenix metropolitan area in late 2017. The killings took place over a short and terrifying period, from November 27, 2017, to December 17, 2017. During that time, multiple people were shot to death in Phoenix, Glendale, and Avondale. The victims included strangers, acquaintances, his mother, and his stepfather. Authorities said the crimes appeared to involve robbery, personal conflict, and sudden acts of violence, though a single clear motive was never established for the entire spree.
Cooksey had a prior criminal history before the 2017 killings. He had previously been convicted in connection with a deadly robbery case from 2001 and had spent years in prison. After his release, he was living in the Phoenix area. By late 2017, investigators later said, he began a string of murders that shocked Arizona because of how quickly the deaths occurred and how different the victims were from one another.
The Beginning of the Killing Spree
The first known killings linked to Cooksey happened on November 27, 2017. Andrew Remillard and Parker Smith were found shot to death inside a vehicle in Phoenix. The two men were sitting together in a car when they were attacked. Their deaths were initially investigated as a double homicide, but at that time police did not yet know they were dealing with a larger pattern of killings.
Over the next three weeks, more victims were found dead from gunshot wounds. The crimes took place in different parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area, which made the case difficult to immediately connect. Some victims were found in vehicles, some were attacked outdoors, and others were killed in homes or apartments. The shootings created fear because the attacks did not appear to follow one simple pattern.
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