Eight deaths in 3 weeks

PHOENIX (AP) — A man tried for murder after he was accused of killing eight people in the Valley in 2017 is set to hear a jury's verdict against him on Thursday.

Cleophus Cooksey Jr.'s trial came more than seven years after the killings due to repeated delays caused by the pandemic.

The 43-year-old is accused of murder and other charges stemming from the fatal shootings in Phoenix and Glendale over a three-week span. If he is convicted, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Cooksey has said the allegations against him are false and pleaded not guilty.

The first of the eight killings happened Nov. 27, 2017. By that point, Cooksey had been out of prison for four months after serving time for his role in a 2001 strip club robbery that turned deadly.

Cookse

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