PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man was sentenced Thursday to death in a string of fatal shootings in metro Phoenix during a three-week span in 2017.
Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was found guilty in late September of murder in eight killings. Jurors agreed on the death penalty in six of the killings, but they were undecided on the punishment in the deaths of Cooksey's mother, Rene Cooksey, and stepfather, Edward Nunn.
Prosecutors said they could seek the death penalty in a sentencing retrial or let a judge impose life sentences.
Authorities never offered a motive for the attacks. Cooksey maintained his innocence at a monthslong trial.
Here’s a timeline of the serial killings:
Andrew Remillard, 27, and Parker Smith, 21, are found dead with gunshot wounds to the head inside a parked car in Phoenix.
Salim Richards, 31, is shot and killed while walking in west Phoenix. His 9 mm Glock handgun and a necklace are missing.
Latorrie Beckford, 29, is found shot twice in the head in the common area of a Glendale apartment complex.
Kristopher Cameron, 21, is shot and killed upon arriving at a Glendale apartment complex to complete a drug transaction with Cooksey, police say.
About 90 minutes after Cameron was shot, Maria Villanueva, 43, parks her car at another complex 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. Surveillance cameras show an unknown man approach her and then drive away in Villanueva’s car with her in the front passenger seat. She is found partially nude and shot to death in a Phoenix alley the next morning.
Police responding to gunfire at a central Phoenix apartment find Cooksey at the scene and, after a brief altercation, take him into custody. They find the bodies of his mother, Rene Cooksey, 56, and her husband, Edward Nunn, 54, behind the front door. Both had been shot to death.
Investigators said they found Richards’ gun, which was later linked to the killings of Beckford, Cameron and Villanueva. The keys to Villanueva’s vehicle also were found there, and police say Cooksey was wearing Richards’ necklace when he was arrested.
FILE - A list of nine homicide victims all linked to a convicted felon is displayed by the Phoenix Police Department at a news conference, Jan. 18, 2018 in Phoenix. Cleophus Cooksey Jr. was charged and convicted in eight of the killings. (AP Photo/Terry Tang, File)
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine, voicing confidence that the Kremlin's military goals would be achieved nearly four years after he ordered troops into the neighboring country.
Speaking at his highly orchestrated year-end news conference, Putin declared that Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative” and would make more gains by the year's end.
In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine's forces managed to thwart an attempt by Russia’s larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscow's troops have made slow but steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress — even though it is not the lightning advance many expected.
“Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,” Putin said at the annual live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of the Russian leader.
Putin, who has ruled the country for 25 years, has used the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs.
This year, observers are watching for Putin’s remarks on Ukraine and the peace plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite an extensive diplomatic push, Washington's efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.
Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the “root causes” of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlin’s tough conditions for a deal.
Earlier this week, Putin warned this week that Moscow would seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin’s demands.
The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He also has insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured yet — demands Kyiv has rejected.
The Kremlin also insists that Ukraine abandon its bid to join the Western NATO military alliance and warns it won’t accept the deployment of any troops from NATO members and will view them as “legitimate target.”
Putin also has repeatedly said that Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language — demands he has made from the onset of the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks at the annual board meeting of the country's Defense Ministry in Moscow, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
