Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman 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 they were responsible for eight murders and at least 29 other shootings.
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.
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
Tips identified Hausner and Dieteman as suspects on July 31, 2006. The most important tip came from Ron Horton, a friend of Dieteman, who said Dieteman had confessed to involvement in the shootings while drinking. Horton was at first uncertain whether Dieteman's confession was serious, but went to police after the shooting death of Robin Blasnek of Mesa, Arizona, which he said "affected me quite a bit". On August 3, 2006, police arrested both suspects outside of their apartment in Mesa. On the morning ofAugust 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 sentences. Hausner had instructed his attorneys not to oppose a death sentence, saying his execution would help the victims' families heal. After a mandatory appeal, Hausner waived further appeals and requested to be put to death "as soon as possible." During Hausner's half-hour statement to the jury before sentencing, he apologized to several people including his family and compared himself to Charles Manson. On June 19, 2013 was found unresponsive in his cell and died later that day. His autopsy revealed no physical trauma. The medical examiner determined that he had killed himself with an overdose of an anti-depressant.
