Between 2005 and 2006, Phoenix, Arizona residents were facing several terrifying crises — including the “Serial Shooters,” Dale Hausner and Samuel Dietman.
The only motive of a serial killer, as the police came to understand, appeared to be the excitement derived from it. These were not targeted killings; this was not violence related to gangs. Individuals and animals were being shot indiscriminately on the streets from cars passing by.
During the year, Dietman and Hausner, despite being known as the Serial Phoenix Shooters, worked together to kill a total of eight people and injure 19 others in a series of three dozen shootings.
The Yearlong Rampage of the Phoenix Serial Shooters
In the summer of 2005, Phoenix, Arizona slowly became a summer of fear due to the two distinct sets of serial killings that plagued the West Valley. Something was first indicated by the dead dogs and horses that came in the form of shot animals along the sides of roads or in yards.
Later on, immigrants and temporary inhabitants began to be found deceased, with gunshot wounds caused by .22-caliber bullets near Tolleson.
Reports of numerous instances of sexual assaults along Baseline Road began to pour in that August. The victims were a group of teenage girls, one of whom was the daughter of a mother who had also experienced molestation in the past.
The police initially did not notice any connection between these events, but they could no longer deny that some of these incidents were related, even though enough time had passed. Each crime took place in a separate jurisdiction, and there was no line of connection through which they could be linked.
The police did not know at the time that they were dealing with two separate killing sprees, one carried out by Mark Goudeau, who would later become known as the Killer Baseline, and the other by Dietman and Hausner.
She had not been sexually assaulted, unlike many victims of the Baseline complex. However, the case became even more shocking when Georgia Thompson, a 19-year-old exotic dancer, was found dead in the parking lot of a Tempe apartment on September 9, 2005.
Then, as AZ Central reported, on Dec. 29, 2005, the shooting rampage truly started.
Jose Ortis and Marco Carillo, two individuals, were fatally shot that evening while walking their dog. Over the next five hours, a series of apparently indiscriminate shootings occurred throughout the city. The initial gunfire took place at approximately 7:30 p.M., Targeting a bartending school in Tempe.
After stepping off the bus, Tordai Timmy, a man with a peculiar sensation in his collarbone, quickly discovered himself lying on the ground. It was not long after his shift at the post that this incident occurred.
“I believed I was experiencing a cardiac arrest,” he later expressed. “And then I witnessed the blood.”
Three additional dogs were shot prior to midnight.
Around 1 a.M. On December 30th, when she was looking for another man to hire her services, she was only greeted by the barrel of a gun from the driver’s side window. She had just finished with a client and was looking for another one when she saw a blue light on Van Buren Street.
She survived solely because another individual happened to be nearby and halted to transport her to the medical facility.
The shootings abruptly ceased for approximately six months once this disclosure emerged, however, law enforcement recognized that they were confronting a “serial shooter” at this juncture.
The only information the police had about the shooter was that he was driving a pale blue car, while still under the assumption that it was an individual. When they resumed their activities, the shooter switched from using .22-caliber bullets to shotgun shells, which were more difficult to track.
During this period, authorities ultimately concluded that they were confronting not only one but two serial murderers at the same time.
Former Phoenix Police Detective Clark Schwartzkopf informed local 12News that it is quite rare to encounter two highly active serial killers with contrasting motives, two individuals engaging in such behavior.
Residing in Phoenix, I pondered, ‘Is it feasible to have two serial killers in one place and successfully execute it?’ It seems unlikely to create a fictional crime narrative set in a city where such a scenario could occur.
How Law Enforcement Apprehended the Phoenix Serial Shooters
Shootings became more frequent and it seemed like police were finding more victims of the Killer Baseline. It appeared as though Serial Shooters were directly competing with each other in the mid-2006s.
In August of that year, the hunt for the murderers approached its conclusion. A pale azure car arrived as Schwartzkopf was stationed in a parking area, observing a suspicious individual at a lounge close by.
Schwartzkopf said, “Those are the circumstances in which I decided to take a breath. I then sat back and stood up, causing my hair to stand on end. As I rolled in this vehicle, we observed this individual and monitored this parking lot. I was sitting there.”
The two individuals were promptly recognized by investigators. Samuel Dietman was the individual seated in the tavern, while Dale Hausner was the chauffeur. Dietman accessed Hausner’s vehicle, and the duo departed.
Schwartzkopf said, “We believed honestly that night we were going to shoot someone, we thought. I honestly believed that.”
The police, however, did have enough evidence to wiretap the two men, sealing their fates. That night, neither of the two men shot anyone.
The police were unaware that they were listening to Dietman Sam and Hausner Dale, who freely spoke about their killing spree, if anyone saw them talking about it through news channels, the attention was reveled in.
Dietman informed Hausner that he had shared an apartment with a man who was quite old, and it was so much fun. He mentioned that he really enjoyed shooting people in the past.
Several days later, both individuals were apprehended and embarked on a lengthy journey that culminated in their guilty verdicts.
Who were Dale Hausner and Samuel Dietman?
The incidents of this series were extremely intense, with no significant crimes involved before. Dietman, the area surrounding him, had experienced a few minor disputes between the two men.
Hausner was the mastermind — his looks were deceiving. However, Mike Tyson once interviewed him (and he also dabbled in freelance photojournalism, while working as an airport janitor). On the other hand, Hausner had no criminal history.
Hausner told the police that he was involved in maintaining meth while engaging in shootings, arson, stabbings, muggings, and even “random, recreational violence.” He was arrested that night, but Hausner spoke very little to the detectives and allowed Dietman to spill the details.
Shortly thereafter, the couple parted ways and she managed to stay alive. Their vehicle veered off the road and plunged into a river as his spouse dozed off while driving on a journey. Consequently, he tragically lost both of his children. Despite having a sorrowful history as a parent, those acquainted with Dale Hausner typically expressed favorable opinions about him.
“Do not harm anyone,” she said, as the police eavesdropped on her conversation with Dietman, bidding him farewell for the night. In a subsequent recorded dialogue, he expressed his deep affection for his beloved daughter.
“Oh, all right,” Dietman replied. “Since you asked.”Output: “Oh, okay,” Dietman responded. “Because you inquired.”
After being introduced to his brother Hausner, Dale Dietman moved in with him, bonding over their shared desire to commit petty crimes and smoke meth.
Investigators later stated that Hausner was motivated by “the excitement of killing and gaining attention.”
Schwartzkopf expressed, “I believe he was inherently wicked.” “Even during his childhood, he displayed a penchant for causing destruction… He simply became entangled in the entire frenzy, the prominence of the media, and the discussions surrounding it. I reckon he simply succumbed to the infamy and concluded, ‘Hey, this isn’t as undesirable as it seems.'”
While awaiting trial in prison, Hausner attempted to overdose on pills in the hopes of receiving a death sentence at the end of his jury trial, but the police revived him, hoping to find him eligible for it.
I personally advocate for the implementation of capital punishment, as I strongly believe it can contribute to the healing process for the victims. If necessary, I am prepared to face this punishment, so proceed with the execution if you so desire. Hausner informed the court that ever since the passing of his children, he has been yearning for death. November 12, 1994, marks the day when I lost all hope for life.
Years later, Dale Hausner was discovered deceased in his cell at the Eyman Prison in Florence on June 19, 2013. He would not be returning, however, on this occasion, he had succumbed to an overdose once more.