Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman (also known as Serial Shooter) are two gunmen who
committed multiple drive-by shootings in Phoenix,
Arizona between May 2005 and August 2006. They targeted random pedestrians.
The investigations were simultaneous to the search for the Baseline Killer, who was also committing random murders and sexual
assaults in the Phoenix area.
Dieteman was sentenced to life imprisonment without
possibility of parole. Hausner was sentenced to death, and committed suicide in
prison. Investigators believe the shooters were responsible for eight murders
and at least 29 other shootings, though some reports put the number as high as
38 incidents.
Crimes
In addition to several dozen non-fatal shootings of people
and fatal shootings of animals, Hausner and Dieteman were found guilty of the
following murders:
David Estrada,
20, shot to death on June 29, 2005.
Nathaniel Shoffner,
44, murdered on November 11, 2005 while attempting to protect a dog from being
shot.
Jose Ortiz, 44,
was murdered on December 12, 2005.
Marco Carillo,
28, murdered on December 29, 2005.
Claudia
Gutierrez-Cruz, 20, shot and killed by Dieteman on May 2, 2006, as Hausner
drove.
The Serial Shooters'
last crime occurred July 30, 2006 in Mesa.
According to police, Robin Blasnek, 22, was shot and killed at approximately
11:15 p.m. while walking from her parents' house to a friend's house after
having an argument with her boyfriend. On August 3, Phoenix police released a statement linking Blasnek's murder to the
Serial Shooter, citing forensic
evidence and other similarities to the Serial
Shooters' past crimes.
Prior to that, they shot pedestrians, cyclists, dogs and
horses. Phoenix police originally
believed that the Serial Shooter was
a single individual responsible for 4 murders and 25 shootings beginning in May
2005, and that a series of 13 shootings in the same area were the work of
another offender. However, on July 11, 2006, investigators revealed that they
believed the two series of shootings were related.
Perpetrators
Dale S. Hausner,
33, had worked as a custodian at Phoenix
Sky Harbor International Airport since 1999 as well as a boxing
photojournalist for RingSports and Fightnews.com.
Samuel John Dieteman,
31, had a history of petty crimes such as shoplifting and drunk driving and had
returned to Arizona a few years
prior from Minnesota.
Capture
According to reports, police first identified Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman as suspects on July 31, 2006, through tips received
from the community. The most important tips came from Ron Horton, who died before he could testify at trial. Horton was a
friend of Dieteman, and alleged that Dieteman confessed to involvement in the
shootings when he was drunk at the Star
Dust Inn, his regular haunt. Horton
was initially uncertain if Dieteman's confession was serious, but nonetheless
went to police after the shooting death of Robin
Blasnek of Mesa, Arizona, which
he found upsetting and said "affected
me quite a bit".
On the basis of Horton's information, police received a
court order to place recording devices in the apartment shared by Hausner and
Dieteman. The duo were recorded making incriminating statements, such as
knowing that one victim was shot in the leg – a detail that had been withheld
from media reports.
On August 3, 2006, police arrested both suspects outside of
their apartment in Mesa. On the morning of August 4, 2006, Phoenix police announced that two
arrests had been made in connection with the Serial Shooter. Authorities
said they also linked Hausner and Dieteman to two arson fires at Wal-Mart stores on June 8, started 45
minutes apart from each other that caused approximately $7 to $10 million in
damage.
A few weeks prior to his capture, Hausner interviewed former Heavyweight boxing champion Mike
Tyson, as part of his boxing journalist job. Tyson was interviewed by
police officers in regards to the interview, of which, he stated, "...he was a small guy, but a nice
guy."
Trial
Hausner was charged with 87 crimes attributed to the Serial Shooter investigation, including
8 murders, 19 attempted murders, numerous aggravated assaults, drive-by
shootings, firearms charges, cruelty to animals and arson. Hausner was convicted on 6 of 8 murders, and
80 out of 87 charges overall on March 13, 2009.
Hausner's former roommate, Samuel Dieteman, has pleaded guilty to two murders, plus conspiracy
to commit some of the other related murders. Dieteman received a sentence of
life without parole.
On March 27, 2009, Dale
Hausner was sentenced to six death penalties. Hausner had previously
ordered his lawyers not to argue against persuading jurors to deliver the death
sentences, saying the jurors should put him to death to help the victims'
families heal. He fell short of confessing any guilt for the convicted crimes.
After a mandatory appeal, Hausner waived all of his future appeals and
requested to be put to death "as
soon as possible."
During Hausner's half-hour ramble to the jury right before sentencing;
he apologized to several people including his family. He stated that he ruined
the family name, as people would hear the Hausner name and think of Charles Manson. He even compared
himself to Charles Manson. "When you think of Manson, 50 years
from now you'll think of Hausner", he said. Dieteman was incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex – Safford.
Hausner’s Death
Dale Hausner was
found unresponsive in his cell on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at the Arizona State Prison Complex – Eyman and
was pronounced dead later that day. His
autopsy revealed no physical trauma. Later the medical examiner determined that the
cause of death was suicide by an overdose of an anti-depressant.
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