Phoenix serial killer dies in prison

Michael Kiefer | The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX -- Dale Hausner wanted to die, and on Wednesday, he did.



Hausner, 40, who law enforcement dubbed as one of Phoenix's "Serial Shooters," was found unresponsive in his cell on Arizona's death row in Florence shortly after noon Wednesday. He was transported to a hospital in Florence, where he was pronounced dead.



The cause of death is unknown, according to an Arizona Department of Corrections spokesman. The department's Criminal Investigation Unit is investigating with help from the county medical examiner's office.



It was no secret that Hausner, convicted of a string of killings in 2005-2006, wanted to waive his appeals and bring on his own execution. He had attempted suicide while he was in jail before his trial. And in a letter he wrote to The Arizona Republic last July, he worried that the Arizona courts would not let him carry out his wish to be be put to death.



Hausner never admitted to any of his crimes. But in 2009 he was convicted of more than 80, and sentenced to death six times for the 14-month spree of violence.



He and a friend, Samuel Dieteman, crisscrossed the Phoenix valley from Gilbert to Tolleson, shooting at people and animals from the windows of Hausner's car. Eight people and at least 10 animals were killed, and 19 people were wounded before Hausner and Dieteman were arrested in their Mesa apartment in August 2006.



Dieteman implicated Hausner's brother, Jeff Hausner, in the shootings and in a pair of stabbings. Dieteman is now serving a life sentence. Jeff Hausner was never charged in any of the shootings, but is doing prison time for non-fatal stabbings he committed in the presence of Dieteman and Dale Hausner.



In an email to The Republic on Wednesday, another Hausner brother, Randy, said Wednesday's death "ends the life of a person who chose to do horrible things to innocent people."



"We as a family stand with the victims of the crimes and their families," Randy Hausner wrote. "Today, a murderer died and is now going on to face the Ultimate Judge. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent people that were victims of his senseless crimes."



Last July, after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld Dale Hausner's six death sentences, Hausner wrote a letter to the justices saying that he did not want to pursue post-conviction relief, as the appeals process is known. That triggered inquiries into whether he was mentally competent to make that decision.



Hausner was supposed to undergo two days of evidentiary hearings next month in Maricopa County Superior Court to determine his competency.



In his letter to The Republic last July, Hausner mused on the irony.



"The state of Arizona wanted me to get the death penalty before and during my trial," he wrote. "I was found guilty and given six death sentences. Now that I want to get executed, suddenly my mental state is in question. So, if I am found incompetent to waive my appeals, does that mean I was also incompetent to stand trial? That's something to think about, isn't it? I am not insane. I am of sound mind. I simply wish to get the punishment handed down to me, but more quickly. I mean really, what's a guy got to do to get snuffed out?"



He punctuated the remark with a smiley face.