Date of Birth July 23, 1961
Executed August 8, 2012
Defendant: Caucasian
Cook, John Matzke, and Carlos Froyan Cruz-Ramos worked at a restaurant in Lake Havasu City and shared an apartment. On July 19, 1987, Cook stole some money from Cruz-Ramos. When Cruz-Ramos began searching the apartment for the money, Cook and Matzke tied Cruz-Ramos to a chair and began beating him with their fists and a metal pipe. Cook also cut Cruz-Ramos with a knife, sodomized him, and burned his genitals with cigarettes. After several hours of this torture, Matzke and Cook crushed Cruz-Ramos' throat with the pipe. When Kevin Swaney, another co-worker, arrived at the apartment, Cook forced him upstairs and showed him Cruz-Ramos' body. Cook and Matzke then tied Swaney to a chair. Matzke went to sleep while Cook sodomized Swaney. When Cook was finished, he woke Matzke and the two men strangled Swaney to death with a bed sheet. Matzke pled guilty to second-degree murder and testified against Cook.
PROCEEDINGS
Presiding Judge: Steven F. Conn
Prosecutor: Eric Larsen
Start of Trial: June 27, 1988
Verdict: 8 July 7, 1988
Sentencing: August 8, 1988
Aggravating Circumstances
Especially heinous/cruel/depraved
Multiple homicides
Pecuniary gain (Cruz-Ramos murder only)
Mitigating Circumstances
None
PUBLISHED OPINIONS
State v. Cook, 170 Ariz. 40, 821 P.2d 731 (1991)