Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “Phoenix Serial Shooters” Pt. 2 - Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman

Episode Date: January 14, 2019

In the summer of 2005, innocent people were being gunned down in the streets of Phoenix, Arizona with no suspects, no witnesses, and no plausible motives. Dale Hausner and Sam Dieteman were ruthless murderers killing anyone they saw fit. The pair lived for the chaos, creating a game out of murdering innocent bystanders. Parcasters - Hear Hercules as you’ve never heard him before, tomorrow on Mythology!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ziprecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Due to the graphic nature

of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive, we advise extreme caution for children under 13. In the summer of 2005, residents of Phoenix, Arizona knew that once the sunset, going outdoors, was deadly. Despite the cool night air providing the only escape from the summer heat, there was something even darker prowling the streets after dusk, something unpredictable, unrelenting, and completely at random.

In fact, only two men had nothing to fear from the darkness because they were the fear. Dale Hausner and his drinking buddy Sam Dietman were driving aimlessly through the streets, murdering anyone they saw fit, in what they dubbed random recreational violence. The duo would settle for nothing less than pure chaos, because to them, murder was a game. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. From the Parcast Network, this is serial killers. Today, we continue our deep dive into the terrible crimes of the serial shooter and the wave of fear these murders cast over Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005 and 2006.

I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. Many of you have been asking us how you can support the podcast. If you enjoy the show, one of the best ways to help us is to leave a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. While you're there, you can listen to previous episodes of serial killers, as well as Parcast's other podcasts. A new episode comes out every Monday.

You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and on Twitter at Parcast Network, or in our website, parcast.com. Last week, we looked into the disturbing childhood of Dale Hausner and delved into Sam Deepman's troubled past to understand the path that led them to become known as the Infant. serial shooter who claimed the lives of at least six people in 2005 and 2006. Though the men had yet to meet, several key events in their lives had already set the stage for their deadly team-up. Sam Dietman was a child of divorce and had a flawed and violent father figure, which led him to a codependent life, devoid of stability.

And Dale Hausner, already a troubled young man, was forever changed by a terrible accident that claimed the lives of his two young children. This week will be taking an in-depth look into Dale's continued bloodlust after his first murder and his transition into a ruthless partnership with Sam Deidman that concluded with their eventual arrests. Seven days had passed since Dale's first victim, Tony Mendez, was gunned down in the street with no suspects, no witnesses, and no plausible motive for his attacker. Dale Hausner had pulled off a crime that, if not for his future actions, would likely have remained unsolvable. But Dale was ready to strike again. On May 24, 2005, Dale, then 32 years old, spent the night drinking and taking drugs with his older brother, Jeff Hausner.

Dale and Jeff spent many nights together in the same fashion, drinking until they either found trouble or made it. This time, the brothers were out to create chaos. Dale, a glutton for attention, almost always prowled the streets with a companion. He worked as a janitor at an airport, but acted as if he was friends with the many celebrities that flew in and out of Phoenix. A lifelong fan of boxing, Dale also had a public access show about the sport, where he once interviewed Mike Tyson and other famous athletes. Clearly, Dale craved the spotlight. Vanessa's going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show.

Thanks, Greg. All human beings require attention. We are, after all, a social species. But Dale's attention crossed a line from seeking meaningful interactions to performing terrible, dramatic actions in order to be noticed. According to Billy Gordon of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, excessive attention seekers go to unhealthy lengths to fill their needs and are often driven by desperation. The part of the brain that controls this desperate need for attention, the amygdala perceives a lack of recognition as a threat to the human body and overrides the rest of the brain

to seek immediate attention. In addition, all of this activity is linked to the level of serotonin in the brain. Low serotonin can cause the amygdala to go into panic mode. In short, lack of attention throws the body. body into panic. A lack of serotonin can be caused by stress, but there can also be other factors. Other factors like Dale's drug of choice, meth. As we said last week, meth produces a short but intense high in the user. It does so by surging the body with serotonin, but it also eats away at the part of the brain that produces this chemical. This means that a frequent meth user would

experience vast changes of serotonin levels in his or her brain. which could easily send the amygdala into a state of shock. Coupled with the fact that meth is highly addictive, it explains why Dale would crave a thrill and need for attention on his nights out. Scientifically, what his body was craving was another jolt of serotonin. Looking for a fix, Dale drove around the streets of Phoenix, seemingly at random. Finally, at around one in the morning on May 24th, Dale found his next victim, near a neighborhood bar called Charlie's.

Reginald Remyard was a 56-year-old veteran who had unfortunately fallen on hard times. Reginald was a sweet man, deeply loved by his younger siblings. He served in Vietnam and was a hero to his family. But in 1971, Reginald developed a psychological disorder of his own. Reginald left the military when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, suffering from an altered perception of people and things in his daily life. Reginald's sister Becky arranged care for her brother in an assisted living facility. But Reginald bucked the notion of staying there.

Alarmingly, Reginald also began to develop a fondness for sleeping in the open air, preferring the outdoors to a traditional bed. Finally, in the spring of 2005, the Remyard siblings worked together to find a new home for Reginald and arranged for him to be transferred to a facility they thought he would like better. On May 23rd, 2005, Reginald Bored. a hospital transport vehicle to finally be moved to a new home. But feeling invincible, Reginald was somehow able to let himself out of the vehicle, and he fled into the night.

Reginald didn't want to be found, but he also wasn't one to make his sisters and brother worry and called them to let them know he was safe. Sometime after midnight, in the very early hours of the 24th, Reginald began to look for a place to sleep and found a bus stop to his liking. He took off his shoes and settled in for the night. Reginald planned to get a good night's sleep in his new spot. But when Dale Hausner came across him on his bus bench, he had other plans. Dale rolled up to the bus stop, pulled out his 22 rifle, and fired one piercing shot before speeding off.

Reginald never even saw what hit him. But there had been a witness to Dale's crime this time. 31-year-old James Hernandez had spent his Monday night seeking a much more appropriate thrill. The newest installment in the popular Star Wars movies, Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith, had just been released. James and a friend decided to check out the film late Monday night, and afterwards grabbed a few drinks at Charlie's bar to discuss the film. At around 1 a.m., they had grown tired of Charlie's. While they spoke outside the bar, James had a clear view of a bus stop across,

the street and noticed a man sleeping on the bus bench. At that exact moment, Dale Hausner drove up, fired a shot, and sped off into the night. James noticed the light-colored vehicle quickly peel past them before he could even register what had happened. Unbeknownst to James, he had just seen a deadly killer fleeing the scene of his second murder. James rushed over to the bus stop to find poor Reginald Remyard crumpled on the bench, Terrifyingly, he vividly recalled hearing a sound like a sprinkler and looked around before realizing that the sound was blood, quickly spilling out of Reginald's neck.

Luckily, police happened to pull around the block, and James frantically waved down the car. Officer Darren Birch stepped out. James, in a panic, explained that a man was bleeding out, probably dying. Birch saw that Reginald had lost a very large amount of blood. Thinking quickly, Birch spotted Reginald's tennis shoes, removed when he'd gone to sleep, and used the rubber tip of the shoe to stop Reginald's neck from bleeding. Reginald fought for life for nearly six more days, but Dale's single shot to the neck ultimately proved to be fatal.

By the end of May 2005, 32-year-old Dale Hausner had claimed the lives of his first two victims, both innocent men he'd never met. The second time, his car had been three. spotted, but the victim only noted it was a light-colored vehicle. Perhaps Dale knew how close he'd been to getting caught. For a full month, Dale refrained from any violence on his late-night rides. Of course, he didn't want to be caught. So his proximity to witnesses and a patrolling police car might have been enough to deter him from his sport of choice.

It's a common misconception that serial killers actually want to be caught. While some killers may harbor that desire, most serious. killers do not want to be exposed to the general public. Best-selling author and criminologist Scott Bonn reminds us that serial killers, first and foremost, love killing. With each kill, they learn more about how to get away with things than how to perfect their craft. In addition, each new murder builds on the killer's confidence. And just as Dale's confidence grew with each violent act, so did his desire to continue his lifestyle. But Dale couldn't help himself and was unable to lay low for long.

About a month later, on June 29, 2005, Dale got back in the car. His brother Jeff was likely driving the car with Dale in the passenger seat. That night, the boy started out small, nervous from their last outing. The car rolled up to a Burger King, and Dale fired several rounds into the empty building. But by the time the police got the call, they had a much more serious situation on their hands. satisfied that he hadn't been caught while shooting at the Burger King, Dale had continued on down the block. Just before three in the morning,

Dale passed a Jack in the Box restaurant and noticed a man walking on the street nearby. 20-year-old David Estrada. David had grown up with a doting mother and a lawyer father. In high school, David was popular, athletic, and handsome. But things took a turn in 2001 when David's father pled guilty to fraud. He was disbarred,

financially ruined and sent to state prison. This changed 16-year-old David's life drastically. His mother was forced to find a job to support the family working for minimum wage as an airline clerk. The changes began to take a toll on David mentally, and he battled with deep depression and self-harming thoughts. By 2004, his mother, distraught, successfully petitioned to have him committed. Though his situation improved and he was released from the institution in 2005,

It didn't last long. Just a few months after he was released, David began to grow distant and to show signs of depression. David began to prefer the streets to his house. Outdoors he could relax, free from the pressures of society. On June 28th, instead of going home, he created a makeshift campsite for himself on the side of the road. The campsite was just blocks from where Dale and Jeff Hausner had shot up a Burger King.

and at 3 a.m. when Dale circled past the Talasin Jack in the box, he spotted David at his campsite. It's believed Dale may have called out to him or tried to entice him closer to the car. Just as he had a month before, Dale fired a single round from his 22 before speeding off, leaving David's body sprawled on the sidewalk in a pool of blood. Then, less than an hour later, Dale set his sights on a bay quarter horse named Sarah Moon. four bullets, all from a 22 rifle, ripped through the horse, resulting in a painful and drawn-out death for the poor animal. For the next few months, Dale gravitated back toward his old habit of torturing animals.

As a child, Dale would often torture birds, sometimes even going so far as to microwave them alive. Now, in July 2005, five more creatures, all pets or farm animals, would be shot in a similar manner to Sarah Moon. To Dale, it didn't matter if it was an animal, a building, or a person. He just wanted to create chaos. During the fall, Dale took a nearly four-month-long break from his nighttime activities,

but when he'd returned to the streets in mid-November, 2005, he wouldn't just return to killing people. He would pull a would-be partner into his madness. We'll see how this partnership forms. in a moment. Now back to the story. On November 11th, 2005, just after 9.30 p.m., 13-year-old David Cessna, hold up in his brother's pickup truck, seeking some privacy to make a call. His dog, Irving, followed him into the yard and sniffed around the truck. The trees around the vehicle and its tinted windows hid Cessna from view, but he had a clear line of sight to the street

from his position. While on the phone, he noticed a suspicious car, a light blue four-door sedan, driving slowly past his home. Unbeknownst to him, this was Dale Hausner's car. Dread started to creep into Cessna's veins as the car lingered a few houses over, then backed up in front of his home again. To Cessna's shock, a long barrel emerged from the car. Before Cessna could react, the unseen gunman fired twice into his

poor pup. And then, alarmingly, a third shot struck the truck David was sitting in. David's dog began yelping, attracting attention, and Dale sped off in his sedan. Although Cessna had been unable to get a plate, the police now at least had a brief description of the vehicle they suspected was linked to the multiple animal shootings, which they had not yet connected to the murders. David Cessna's dog likely saved his life that night. But Dale's next target, wouldn't be so lucky. By 10.30 p.m., Dale had picked up his brother Jeff. The pair pulled up in front of Nathaniel Schaffner's home sometime before midnight. There, their brothers happened upon a stray dog, their next victim. Nathaniel was sitting on his porch that night and watched as the barrel of a

rifle emerged from the car window. A few beers in, Nathaniel was feeling bold and confronted the two men. Nathaniel asked them what they thought they were doing and told them to, quote, Leave that dog alone, you Bill Clinton-looking mother-effer. Dale was furious at the insult and called back to Nathaniel, instigating a fight. He took aim at Nathaniel, who didn't seem to care. Then Dale pulled the trigger. But by sheer chance, the 22 jammed. Nathaniel found this hysterical and laughed at the men in the car.

Dale demanded that Jeff give him a backup weapon they'd been carrying in the vehicle, a shotgun. Jeff didn't think a shotgun would kill a man, and that using it would just land them in hot water. Dale didn't care, and despite Jeff's protests, pulled out the shotgun and fired into Nathaniel's chest. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, Dale had been right. A shotgun could indeed kill a person.

Nathaniel died after an incredibly painful final few hours. Dale would shoot one more dog that night and then would disappear from the streets for over a month. But the animal shootings had attracted a certain detective, Cliff Jewel, who had a soft spot for animals, earning the nickname the Pet Detective. He began to mull over the idea that perhaps the animal cruelty cases and the unsolved murders were linked. Before 2005 came to a close, Dale enjoyed one more night of violence. But this time, he set out with a purpose.

Near the end of the year, Dale had befriended a man named John Kane. who owned a bartending school in Phoenix. The two quickly set up a business arrangement. Dale had been shoplifting top-shelf liquor and DVDs with his brother Jeff for quite some time. A scheme that Jeff had drafted Sam Deatman into as well. For John, the cheap and tax-free liquor made a great supply for the school. On December 26, 2005, Dale arrived to find John in a terrible mood. Melissa, a student of Johns, had accused him of sexual sexual.

harassment, which he vehemently denied. Unfortunately, Melissa had taken the complaint to the school's director, John's wife. John was frustrated at the trouble Melissa had caused, and even more upset he'd gotten in trouble at home. Dale asked John if he'd done what the girl had said, and again, John denied it furiously. Dale told John not to worry, and that he'd take care of it. John seemed open to Dale's suggestion, although never asked what he meant by it. Heeded by a his anger, he gave Dale Melissa's home address and pointed out her car outside. Dale assured John that Melissa would be taken care of. Dale said to him, quote, you won't know when, but afterward, you'll know, end quote. Three days later, on December 29th, Dale set out to make good on his promise. Early in the

evening, he called John to make sure he was home and with someone that could vouch for him. At about 7 p.m., Dale drove up to the bartending school parking lot. He took aim with his little 22 and fired at least five shots into the back windshield of the car John had pointed out, then sped off. Dale would later find out that he hadn't gotten the right car, but actually shot up an innocent student's vehicle. Had he shot the right car, he likely would have killed Melissa, who was in her car at the time. But as far as Dale knew, his purpose was fulfilled. He was on cloud nine. Not only had he avenged a wronged friend, his lust for destruction had been rekindled in the process. Dale drove up to a chiro practice office a few blocks away. He fired a single

bullet at the building, shattering the window. Possibly because his 22 had jammed days earlier, Dale circled the city with his shotgun, spraying buckshot at a dog on the street as a twisted warm-up. Dale's next two victims, Jose Ortiz and Marco Carrillo, were shot nearly back-to-back. Jose 44 was found with one 22-bullet wound in his torso, sprawled dead on the sidewalk. Marco only 28 was found in a similar fashion, with two 22 wounds, also left for dead on the sidewalk. Dale's third victim of the night, Timmy Tordai, had been a troubled young man but was working on a fresh start in Phoenix. Timmy worked in the cafeteria of the post office and lived in a halfway house. By 10.30 p.m. on the 29th, he was headed home from work when he felt a sharp pain in his

chest. Timmy thought he was having heart attack until he realized there was blood all over his clothes and the street. Dale had shot Timmy and again sped off into the darkness. Timmy snapped into survival mode and was somehow able to crawl the final few blocks to the halfway house. miraculously, Timmy survived. He tried to offer up useful information to the police, but hadn't been focused on his attacker and, in fact, had never even seen him. Timmy was the first victim to escape with his life. Dahl continued his savage rampage that night.

He briefly switched back to his 22 and shot and killed several dogs. As he drove down east of Van Buren Road, he spotted his next target, a sex worker. Clarissa Rowley was no ordinary sex worker. She had been in the army, trained in combat in Iraq. Clarissa had made ends meet as a sex worker off base, and when she returned to the States, kept up her game. On December 29th, she'd been working a corner to make some extra cash, a car passed her and then stopped, circling back.

Thinking it was a customer, Clarissa approached, but she was met with the barrel of Dale's shotgun. Remembering her combat training, Clarissa threw her hands up instinctively, even as the gun fired at her at nearly point-blank range. Clarissa was able to save herself as the shotgun pellets ripped through her hands, but didn't make it to her face. Despite the sheer volume of chaos Dale had created that night, he wasn't satisfied. Dale fed off the reaction of others. Jeff had recently gotten a job that required him to get a good night's sleep, and Dale began to feel lonely. on his night rides. He went out for his first night ride of 2006 solo, but it wasn't the same.

In March, he found an innocent cyclist, Tim Bovial, and shot him square in the buttocks. Tim recovered quite well. The incident never even made the news, a fact that couldn't have pleased Dale Hausner. But soon, Dale would find a captive audience in the form of a new ride-along partner, Sam Deidman. In early April 2006, Jeff and Sam bumped into Dale on their way out of the retirement home, and Jeff was quick to brag about Sam's shoplifting talents. Dale told Sam he wanted to see how good he really was. The trio made a plan to meet up and began a lengthy spree of shoplifting over the next month.

Dale was incredibly impressed with Sam and even participated in the actual shoplifting instead of just offloading the goods. For Sam Dietman, the newfound center. of camaraderie must have been invigorating. With the Hausner boys, Sam felt important and like he mattered for the first time. Soon the trio began to hang out regularly, drinking, doing drugs, and driving aimlessly through the night. Up to now, when the Hausner brothers had bragged about their love for violence, Sam assumed they were all talk, but on April 14th, 2006, Sam witnessed his first attack. While RVing, Jeff got out of

of the car and wandered into a parking lot toward a man, Ray McQueen, who approached Jeff and asked him for some change. Jeff agreed to help, but instead jabbed a jackknife into McQueen's stomach and leapt back in the car as Dale sped off. Later, Jeff would plead that he never meant any harm, and he had stabbed Ray completely on accident. The pint of blood Ray lost, said otherwise. The very next day, Dale Hausner would get more attention than he had ever done. dreamed of. The popular television show America's Most Wanted contacted Detective Cliff Jewel and expressed interest in doing a story on the shootings. Cliff cooperated in the hopes it would help the investigation. He gave producers information only known to the Phoenix police force.

But the show made a terrible mistake. During the episode, the presenter both mentioned and showed a clip of shells from a 22 rifle. At this time, Dale was unaware that the police knew what caliber of gunny was using. But now it had been broadcast to the world. Dale would ditch his little 22 for good. And from then on, only shotguns were used in the crime spree. Just a few weeks later, on May 2, 2006, Dale and Sam took to the streets again. And for the first time, Sam would be more than just a spectator. They started the night as they always did, drinking and doing drugs, and soon targeted a man Dale decided he didn't like the look of, Kibili Tambadu.

Kibili had had a hard life, having escaped a civil war in Sierra Leone, and was building life for himself in Phoenix. But one random shot from Dale's shotgun ended his long, difficult journey. Dale pulled up next to Kabili, told Sam to lean over in his seat, and to Sam surprise, gun the man down before speeding off.

Dale was certainly enjoying himself, finally showing Sam what he'd often bragged about, but he was perturbed Sam wasn't participating. When they found their next victim, Dale insisted Sam take the weapon. Finally, Sam relented. He rolled down the window as Dale approached a figure dressed in a bulky jacket.

Sam, eager to impress his new friend, shot the figure. Only after he pulled the trigger, did Sam realize that his target was a woman. 22-year-old Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz had moved to Phoenix from Mexico shortly before Christmas in 2005. On the night of May 2, 2006, she was supposed to be enjoying a night off. But the bar she worked at had called her in, and she needed the money. She was discovered in the middle of the road by a passerby on his way home from his girlfriend's house,

still alive and screaming for help. Claudia screamed and begged for him to call her sister, her boyfriend. She died soon after. Her family was devastated. But strangely enough, someone else was devastated as well, Sam Deidman. He had been nervous about shooting a person, but Dale had convinced him it was all good and fine. That is, until he realized that the person he'd shot had been a woman. Sam had always considered himself a chivalrous man who would fight for a lady's honor. So when he realized he had mistaken Claudia's jacket for the broad shoulders of a man. It took a heavy toe on him.

The fun of driving around creating chaos was over. What Sam was experiencing was a phenomenon known as Killer's Remorse. Journalist Martha Elliott attempted to understand how a repeat offender could feel bad for his crimes. In her book, The Man in the Monster, she concluded, quote, that even the person who is supposed to be the worst of the worst

is still a human being, end quote. Sam knew that what he had done was wrong. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt and regretted his actions. But this murder would never leave him. And what he did next would haunt him for the rest of his life. We'll follow the heartbreaking end

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selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes taste. Now back to the story. After claiming his first victim on May 2, 2006. 33-year-old Sam Dietman had been traumatized by what he'd done. But strangely, the trauma didn't stop him from getting more violent. Instead, Sam compartmentalized his actions, placing his grief aside and using alcohol and meth to mask what he knew to be wrong. Dr. Mark Goulston of UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute discusses compartmentalization as a regular behavior that occurs in a much higher degree than normal in certain people.

Highly compartmentalized minds are able to create different personas for different situations, snapping between dispositions as needed. In order to get through his trauma, Sam likely employed this technique on most nights. About a month later, in mid-May, Sam ran into an old friend Ron Horton at a local bar. Sam had lived with Ron during a particularly hard time in his life, but moved out when he began to feel he didn't deserve Ron's kindness. The last time Ron had bumped into Sam, he had seemed much happier, almost like a new man. This time, Sam was more depressed than ever. He was angry and seemed to be grappling with something that didn't sit right with him.

That night, after texting back and forth with someone, Sam got up to leave. He told Ron that someone was going to get hurt that night. Ron had heard Sam talk like this before and assumed it just to be drunk or. cramblings. But Sam's drunken boasting may have actually been an unnoticed cry for help as the killings continued. However, some key things began to change. Dale started to get sloppy. Victims were left alive, slowly piecing together a description of their attacker. But Dale wouldn't let a few shakeups stop him. In fact, he was only growing more confident. On May 30th, Dale's next victim, Jim Hodge stepped out of his apartment for a cigarette. Jim was a stocky man who resembled Santa Claus,

and had served in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the horrors of war had gotten to Jim, and he suffered from schizophrenia and powerful hallucinations. Jim had suffered enough in his life and had earned a rest on his porch that evening, but Dale had other plans. As he and Sam pulled up at the house, Dale fired a blast from his 12-gauge shotgun into Jim's torso. Jim yelped and screamed in pain, suffering greatly, but not mortally wounded. The team's normal M.O. was, of course, to speed off after they shot someone. But this time, Dale was curious. He parked the car a few houses away and then exited the vehicle with Sam. Sam and Dale approached Jim and posed as ordinary bystanders.

They asked him questions that seemed normal in the moment, but bordered on bizarre in hindsight. How was he? What happened? How did he feel? curiously, Sam and Dale stuck around and even spoke with investigators and Jim's sister as they arrived at the scene. Dale gave an officer a story about a lost cat, claiming that he and Sam had been walking around the neighborhood looking for the cat when they stumbled upon Jim, screaming in pain. Dale gave his real name and confidently said he would testify in court if necessary. Sam's name was recorded as Samuel Dietma, missing the final letter, but he didn't seem to be. to care if he was recognized either. Dale and Sam had gotten away with shooting someone outside their home

and speaking to the cops directly after they committed the crime. They were ecstatic, adrenaline pumping through their veins. The fear had drained from Dale. He wouldn't get caught. Couldn't get caught, no matter what. He could be as sloppy as he wanted to, fully embracing his quest for violence. The next two shots that night did permanent damage to their victims,

but left both of them alive. An innocent man, Miguel Rodriguez, was walking along the road about a mile south of Camelback. Dale fired at him, leaving him alive and screaming for help as neighbors frantically called 911. While officers were still investigating the scene, another call came in just blocks from the Jim Hodge incident. Daryl Davies, a lean man with a chronic back injury,

was under doctor's orders to go for nightly walks to alleviate his pain. Daryl planned to walk with his cane about a block, then return home. But Sam and Dale struck again. Daryl fell to the ground, screaming in pain until one of his lungs collapsed. He finally flagged someone down using his cane. Daryl survived and, furious with his attackers, did everything he could to help the police, even offering the pellets that emerged from his wounds as evidence. Dale and Sam shared a good laugh over their crimes that night, and finally decided to

and finally decided they'd had their fill. Dale dropped Sam off and went on his disturbingly merry way. But once Sam returned home, the grief surrounding his actions overcame him again. Weeks later, Sam once again ran into his old roommate and friend Ron Horton at a bar and took up the stool next to him. Sam now reeked of depression and sorrow. As the two got drunker,

Sam began talking not about killing himself, but about killing us. others. Sam asked Ron a disturbing point-blank question. Do you know what it's like to kill a man? When Ron said, of course he didn't, Sam replied, neither did I, until about a month ago. Then Ron realized that Sam was full-on crying. Through his sobs, Ron heard him say, I didn't know it was a girl. I felt really bad when I realized it was a girl. I wouldn't have shot a girl if I had known. When Ron asked what Sam was talking about, Sam snapped to composure.

He said they'd never catch him and discussed how difficult it was to track a 4-10 shotgun. This time, Ron was disturbed. Sam shook off his feelings about a month later, and on June 8th caused serious trouble with Dale again. This time they changed up their method, perhaps frustrated they'd yet to find a worthy target since May. While out shoplifting, Dale invited Sam to take part in a little treat.

At around 9.30 p.m. while shopping in one of the aisles, Dale and Sam set some houseplants on fire in a Walmart. The fire quickly spread, causing massive destruction within the store. In addition, the entire store filled with smoke very rapidly, and many patrons were treated by emergency services for complications from the smoke. Investigators were still on the scene when another call came in. Another fire, wreaking the same level of destruction, had been set at a different Walmart just,

eight miles away. It was the most expensive single loss in the history of the company at the time. Dale and Sam were professional shoplifters, so they must have known that the Walmarts had cameras in place. Perhaps they just didn't care. But Walmart corporate certainly did. And the security footage showed two men entering both Walmarts just before each fire started. Although they had no names, the police now knew what the Walmart arsonists looked like. What they hadn't connected yet was that these arsonists were the same perpetrators on a shooting spree around the city. Later that night on June 8th, Paul Patrick realized he was out of cigarettes. He had heard about the serial shooter on the news, but he told himself that something like that would never happen

to him. Minutes later, he would be proven wrong, as Dale fired a 12-gauge shotgun at him. Paul tried to yell, but started to slip away. The last thing he saw was a man running toward him with a gun, and Paul was sure his attacker was out to finish the job. Luckily for Paul, the man that had run over, brandishing a handgun, was coming to his aid, weapon drawn in case the shooter returned. The man, Saul Guerrero, happened to be an army medic, and thanks to his quick actions, Paul survived the incident. Nine days later, on June 20, 2006, Dale and Sam struck again.

57-year-old Frederick Saino was shot while painting a new sign. on the side of the A1 liquor store. He staggered to the nearby veterans hospital for help. Lucky to have survived his encounter. Minutes later, Tony Long was shot as well, in the same intersection where Kabili Tambadu had been gunned down months before. Tony survived and later told reporters that as soon as he felt the stinging pain, he knew the serial shooter had got him.

That same day, police received their first real lead. A friend of Sam Deatmans had recognized his face on television in connection with the Walmart fires. She identified him as Sammy, but didn't know his last name. Police desperately began searching for Sammy, hoping to find the arsonist before he struck again, unaware of his connection to the shootings. For the rest of the month, the streets were quiet. But come July 1st, Dale and Sam returned in a flurry of attacks. Diana Byn, a young woman traveling with a woman's support group, stepped out for a smoke.

Dale shot her, wounding her severely before she could make it to a motel for help. Later, 24-year-old Jeremy Ortiz showed up at a hospital with buckshot in his face, chest, abdomen, and arm. So disoriented he hadn't remembered what happened at all. Another victim of the night. The next day on July 2nd, 19-year-old Joseph Roberts was shot while. riding his bicycle home from his cousins. He was hospitalized for nearly a week, and though he survived, a third of his stomach had to be removed. Days later on July 7th, David Perez was talking on his cell phone when he saw a light blue Camry drive past his house and heard a loud bang. David

dropped to the ground, bleeding from his neck. Both he and his phone had been peppered with shotgun pellets, and he was lucky to survive. The next day, Ashley Armenta was in an argument with her husband on their way home. She forced her husband to pull over and let her walk the rest of the way. Ashley started to get nervous and called her friend to keep her company. While on the phone, she noticed a suspicious Camry several feet ahead of her, just hovering at a stop sign. After an extended beat, the window rolled down.

And Sam Dietman, nervous and unsettled, fired a shot at Ashley. Ashley immediately phoned her husband for help, and since he was still close by, he came to her rescue, saving her life. Just minutes later, Gary Begay was shot as well on his way home from work. He stumbled back to his job, clutching onto life, and his co-workers called 911.

He was hospitalized for four days, but survived. On July 11th, Michael Cordy was shot at from a suspicious sedan, a bullet missing him by inches, and hitting a wall behind him. The car sped off immediately after, afraid to turn back. By this time, the attacks had become so fast and furious that the news began grouping each new attack

under their general coverage of the serial shooter. He was a faceless threat in the night, and no one knew who he was. But one man, who had just recently started watching the news, had a hunch. In mid-July, Ron Horton learned of the serial shooter. Suddenly, things that Sam Deatman had said began to click into place. Had his friend been telling the truth about going out in the streets at night to create violence? Ron felt tortured.

On the one hand, he had no proof of anything and was very reluctant to sell out a friend, but he thought of his children and the poor victims of Sam's crimes. Finally, on July 16th, Ron couldn't take it anymore and called an anonymous tip hotline. He told the operator he suspected his friend, friend Sammy was involved with the serial shooter case, then quickly hung up the phone, praying he'd given them enough information to stop the violence. But a few days later, on July 22nd, another of Dale and Sam's victims, Raul Garcia, was peppered with buckshot

while riding his bicycle, never seeing his attacker coming. Ron Horton was becoming impatient and felt responsible when he heard about the attack on Raul. On July 28th, Ron called the tip line again, mentioning that he thought a girl named Claudia may have been shot with a 4-10 shotgun and giving the operator his name and number. Officers Daryl Smith and Clark Schwartzcoff were extremely interested in this news. It had not been public knowledge what weapon Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz had been shot with, and so a meeting was arranged that night. Smith showed Ron a photo of the suspect from the Walmart case.

Ron's heart dropped. It was Sam Deatman. Ron didn't know the man he was with, but recognized him as a weird man that had once picked Sam up. The detectives urged Ron to phone Sam and set up a social call. Ron wasn't sure what to do and said he needed to think about it. He sent Sam a half-hearted text, but didn't hear back and was reluctant to press further. Unfortunately, before Ron could be swayed, there was another casualty. On July 30th, Robin Blasnick received a text from her ex-boyfriend that he wanted her to come over.

and Robin slipped out of her house at around 11 p.m. Unfortunately, while she was on her way, Dale and Sam fatally shot her. Robin had been an especially well-liked member of the community, and the public outcry over her death was overwhelming. Police were more eager than ever to stop the shooter. Ron Horton was despondent. He felt if he would have tried harder, he could have stopped Sam before he killed again, determined to make Robin's death the last.

Ron aggressively texted Sam until he agreed to meet up. Sam and Ron met at the Stardust Inn, surrounded by undercover police officers ready to make a move. Drunk, Sam bragged again about his nocturnal activities. He pointed out certain murders on the news that he was sure couldn't be pinned on him because he'd been clever enough to use a different caliber gun. The officers wanted to move in desperately,

but needed Sam and Dale together. Eventually, on August 4th, First, Sam and Dale did meet up, police secretly following them. Sam and Dale carried long black duffel bags, which the officers were sure contained guns, loaded them into the car, and began their night's drive. For hours, officers tailed them, terrified that the shooters would strike again. As soon as the Camry was out of earshot, officers rolled down their windows, yelling at people to get off the streets.

The officers wouldn't have time to act if Dale or Sam took a shot, but there also wasn't enough evidence to arrest them. Luckily, it began raining, and Dale and Sam returned home unsuccessful. A task force was quickly set up and moved in, bugging Dale's apartment on August 1st. The recordings from the bug captured Dale and Sam discussing various details about the serial shooter case, as the news constantly played in the background. They contested the reported death tolls.

They discussed that the news called them copycats of the deal. D.C. sniper. Dale proudly stated that no, they were in fact, pioneers. Sam and Dale voraciously discussed even more details of the shootings. Dale recounted how he loved shooting people in the back, including an old man he shot, and that Robin Blasnack hadn't been his most satisfying murder. When it was time for bed, Dale was heard urging his daughter, Mandy, to say good night. He told her, say good night, Sam, and say, don't kill anybody, Mandy repeated the phrase back, an innocent child dragged into their sick game. Finally, on Thursday, August 3rd, after warrants were properly filed, the task force was ready

for the takedown. Just before midnight, Sam Dietman emerged from the apartment with a bag of trash, later revealed to contain evidence. As soon as he threw the bag in the dumpster, a SWAT team moved in, surrounding him and arresting him on the spot. Once Sam was cuffed, the SWAT team burst into the apartment, nervous that Dale would put Mandy in harm's way to try to escape. But when Dale heard the door breakdown, he assumed Sam was playing a joke. As he realized what was truly happening, Dale was stunned, unable to comprehend that he could have been caught.

Finally, the serial shooter duo had been arrested. The officers were pleasantly surprised when Sam was quick to crack. He told them everything. He confessed names and dates, recounted the weapons that were used, and expressed remorse, especially about the women that were shot. The women wore on his conscience the most, and Sam repeatedly said he aimed high so as to try not to kill anyone. While Dale delighted in killing, Sam's goal had always been simply to please Dale. Dale was a different story. He acted smug, confessing to nothing.

He claimed Sam was making the whole thing up, or better yet, maybe Sam was the serial shooter alone and was trying to frame him. He would never admit to even the slightest wrongdoing, but Sam's confessions plus the evidence they had from the wiretap and details from their sources, like Cherise Kane from the bartending school incident, was more than enough. In December 2006, while awaiting trial, Dale attempted suicide using various over-the-counter drugs. including anhystamines, decongestants, and pain pills. But Dale survived his attempt and was moved to solitary confinement. According to Dale, he swallowed 260 pills in his attempt. Sam and Dale both stood trial for their crimes, including both the shotgun and the 22 shootings. Sam's trial began in the spring of 2008, and despite his confession, he pleaded not guilty at the suggestion of his lawyer.

But Sam's heart was never really in this fight, and by April, Sam called off his lawyers and pleaded guilty to the deaths of Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz and Robin Blasneck. In exchange for his plea, several charges were dropped, but Sam Dietman was still sentenced to life in prison. Dale's trial began in September of 2008, and on March 13, 2009, after a long, arduous process, was found guilty on 80 out of the 87 counts charged against him. Two weeks later, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Convicted of several horrible murders and awaiting his end on death row, Dale attempted suicide for a second time, and this time succeeded. On June 19, 2013, Dale died of a massive overdose of the antidepressant amitriptylene, which he had hoarded for weeks to stockpile enough to kill himself. Though Dale had not lived to see the state put him to death, he died a

painful end by his own hand. In the end, Dale Hausner left this world not with a sudden, deafening bang, but in the quiet of the night. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. You can find more episodes of serial killers as well as parcasts, other podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, CastBox, tune-in, or your favorite podcast directory. Several of you have asked how to help the show, and if you enjoy the show, the best way to help is to leave a five-star review. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week.

Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler, is a production of Cutler Media and is part of the Parcast Network. It is produced by Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Bill Holmes, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro and Paul Mahler. Additional production assistance by Carly Madden and Maggie Admeyer. Serial Killers is written by Michael C. Rogers and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th,

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