A Phoenix man has been arrested and accused of the murder of his stepfather, local police confirmed. Jorge Ramirez, 20, was apprehended after officers responded to a report of a shooting on February 3, just after 5:30 p.m. near 40th Avenue and Buckeye Road. The victim, 32-year-old Jose Leyva, was found with at least one gunshot wound and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, surveillance footage showed a vehicle hastily leaving the area at the time of the shooting. Sergeant Rob Scherer of the Phoenix Police stated, "Once images of the vehicle involved in the homicide were released to the public, it was quickly identified." The investigation led authorities to Ramirez, the vehicle's owner and Leyva's stepson, who police believe shot Leyva after an argument.
In a related grim sequence of events, a man has been linked to nine homicides in the Phoenix area, including that of his mother and stepfather. Cleophus Cooksey Jr. was arrested on December 17 and has since been connected to seven additional murders that took place over a three-week period at the end of 2017. Evidence from the crime scenes has tied Cooksey to these unsolved cases, as police continue to investigate the heinous crimes.
As detailed by 12 News, Cooksey's alleged victims include security guard Salim Richards, 35, and Maria Villanueva, 43, a mother who was sexually assaulted and killed. "The damage that has been done is really just incomprehensible," David Smith from Superior Protection Services said regarding the murder of Richards who was beloved by staff. David Smith of Superior Protection Services, lamenting the loss of Richards, who was one of Cooksey's alleged victims.
Ramirez was booked into jail on multiple charges, including murder, the day after the shooting. Phoenix Police are now casting a wider net, seeking the public's help in an ongoing investigation to ascertain motives and to determine if any other cases may be linked to Cooksey, who had a criminal history spanning 16 years in prison. In statements obtained by Sgt. Jonathan Howard, Cooksey has implicated himself to "some level" in these crimes during police interviews.
