Phoenix Shooting Suspects Took Turns

According To Court Documents, Both Dieteman, Hausner Pulled Trigger

(AP)  Clement Vierra, owner of the Hard Knocks Gym in Phoenix, said he met Hausner about two years ago and would talk to him at boxing events. But about a year ago, Hausner stopped showing up at the fights.

"It was pretty strange because he was really involved with the boxing," Vierra said.

"He just stopped. Nobody knew where he was. He wouldn't return any calls that we left for him," Vierra said.

An Oregon police officer who runs a Web site for female boxers said that about three weeks ago she got a call from Hausner, who was almost breathless with excitement. He said he needed help with a law enforcement question.

"Dale Hausner has done some (freelance photo) coverage for us in 2003," Sue TL Fox said in a telephone interview. "I kind of terminated him back then, so the call was out of the blue.

"He was excited. He said 'Hey Sue, is the news all over the place about the shootings in Phoenix? I said, no, I haven't been paying attention to that. He said OK. I won't bother you anymore."

Fox said she called Phoenix police about Hausner's call. Like many others who knew Hausner, she's mystified about the charges against him.

At the gated complex where Hausner and Dieteman shared an apartment, Jill O'Donnell, 20, also noticed a change in Hausner in the past month.

She said she had spent a considerable amount of time chatting with Hausner, and he was always "really nice," but lately he "gave off a vibe of someone you didn't want to be too social with."

"He wouldn't say 'Hi."' she said. "He wouldn't wave when I passed him. Little things like that."

Katherine Ramsland, who has written dozens of books on the psychology and habits of criminals, said there are few similarities between serial killers and how they act.

"But it's very obvious (Hausner) had a secret compartment where he put his anger. You'll find people who are quiet and timid but they are in fact angry about not being able to express themselves. The anger builds, and they express it in aggressive ways."

Investigators first started looking for Dieteman in July when he surfaced as a suspect in arson fires at two Glendale Wal-Marts in June. But Phoenix police didn't find Dieteman until Monday, when an investigator spotted him in his car.

Investigators found shotgun cartridges, shotguns and long rifles in the men's apartment, according to the probable cause statement.

Police searching through their trash found a map with red and blue dots representing the locations of the attacks, the document said. The bag also contained an "America's Most Wanted" video and news clippings of the shootings and other attacks linked to another serial assailant dubbed the Baseline Killer.

The men are being investigated in 36 shootings, including some involving animals. They're also suspected of committing two arsons. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Aug. 14.

Hausner's brother, Randy, said Saturday that Deiteman "was a friend of his (Hausner's) that he'd met a while back. I didn't even know they were staying together. And Dale hasn't even known him that long. They met through my other brother."

Court records show that Dieteman had traffic cases against him in Arizona as early as June 2001, though it wasn't clear whether he was living in the state at the time.

O'Donnell said she met Dieteman once while inside their apartment. He just drank a beer and said nothing.