In about a year between 2005 and 2006, several random shootings in Phoenix, Arizona left several people dead and others injured. Residents were nervous and authorities raced to find anything that could lead to the killer. An episode of the second season of the Netflix docuseries “Catching Killers” focuses on how the police caught the culprits. The lives and crimes of Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman are explored in “Thrill Kills: The Phoenix Serial Shooter”. So, let’s find out what happened next, shall we?
Who are Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman?
Beginning in May 2005, a series of nightly shootings terrorized everyone in Phoenix. On May 17, 2005, Tony Mendez was shot in the back while riding his bicycle, triggering a crime spree that left eight people dead, 19 injured and ten animals killed. But the case didn’t really pick up steam until 22-year-old Robin Blasnek died in July 2006. She was shot in the back on her way to her boyfriend’s house.
The initial targets were passengers, but the pattern was clear: the killer was targeting pedestrians or cyclists while driving primarily at night in a car. Authorities then believed that two people were involved in the shooting and had a description of the vehicle of a survivor of the shooting. Then a man named Ron Horton called authorities, saying he knew one of the men involved in the shooting. Ron said his friend Samuel Dieteman talked about killing people in what he called “random recreational violence”.
The police then realized that Samuel was in contact with another man named Dale Hausner, and that the two were living together. Samuel was a former convict and an electrician, while Dale also had a criminal record. He was previously accused of threatening his ex-wife with a shotgun and someone has filed child neglect charges against him. The authorities followed them everywhere; the duo also used a car that matched the description they had.
Returning to their apartment in Mesa, Arizona, police saw Samuel throw away a trash bag which was later recovered. They found a shotgun casing (the shots were made with a shotgun or a .22 caliber rifle) and a map with dots that represented the shooting locations. A wiretap on Samuel and Dale’s phone revealed even more information. The two talked about the murders and Dale mentioned wanting to become the best serial killer of all time.
The duo were arrested in August 2006. A search of the house revealed newspaper clippings about the shooting. Initially, Dale claimed to have nothing to do with the murders and blamed Samuel for it. He maintained that his roommate took the car and the gun and committed the shootings. However, Samuel, then 30, told police the two took turns shooting at people in the streets. He admitted to killing Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz in May 2006 while Dale was driving. Samuel added that Dale was the one who killed Robin.
Where are Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman now?
Dale never admitted to committing the crimes. Regardless, he was found guilty of six charges of first degree murder and 74 other crimes. In March 2009, Dale was sentenced to six death sentences in addition to consecutive life sentences and 364 years in prison. On June 19, 2013, he was found unconscious in his cell at a correctional facility in Florence, Arizona. Dale was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead there. The 40-year-old man killed himself by overdosing on antidepressants.
Samuel pleaded guilty to two murders in April 2008. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Samuel and Dale were also involved in starting a fire at two Walmarts in June 2006. Additionally, Dale’s brother Jeff, who was part of some of the crimes, was also convicted. He was convicted of attempted first degree murder and aggravated assault. According to prison records, Samuel remains incarcerated at the Arizona State Penitentiary Complex – Safford, Tonto Unit, Graham County.
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