Phoenix man accused of nine murders in three weeks

A suspected serial killer is in custody in Phoenix after a spree of shootings took nine lives in three weeks.

Police on Thursday named Cleophus Emmanuel Cooksey Jr, 35, as the suspect in nine fatal shootings in the Phoenix metro area between November 27 and December 17, saying ballistic evidence linked the murders.

The victims were of multiple races and both genders, ranging in age from 21 to 56.

Cooksey, an aspiring rapper who is the grandson of a civil rights leader, has been in custody since December 17, when police found him at the scene of his mother and stepfather's murders.

Using forensic evidence and witness statements, cops say they quickly linked him to seven other recent murders in Phoenix as well as in nearby Avondale and Glendale, and are now appealing to the public for further information in the shocking case.

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