The trial is off for a couple days, and we’re headed into the weekend, so I wanted to leave you with a bonus post to tide you over. Here are the official police transcripts (PDF 1.5MB) of the secret wiretap conversations between Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman, which were recorded in the 24 hours before their arrest in Mesa.
[Please be warned: The language in the transcript, which can be downloaded at the link above, is filled with expletives and other crude references -- the kind that generally would not be printed in a general circulation newspaper. If this kind of language makes you squirm or is inappropriate for somebody reading along with you, do not download the transcripts.]
The wiretaps were some of the most anticipated evidence in the trial against Hausner (pictured). The jury, as well as the public, got the chance to hear these recordings for the first time this week. Police planted small audio recorders in his apartment and captured him talking in detail about the killings and shootings with his roommate and supposed accomplice, Dieteman. The men talk about their strategy and even compare themselves to serial killers across the nation. Following his arrest, Hausner told police the comments were just sick jokes.
The transcripts may differ slightly from some of the news accounts of when the recordings were played Tuesday in court. Reporters, like the jury, only got to hear the recordings once, and the quality is very poor. In contrast, Phoenix police detective Jason Buscher, who created the transcripts, testified that he listened to the recordings countless times since they were made, and made revisions to the transcript as recently as two weeks ago.
In addition to the transcripts, the full audio of the wiretaps has been posted online by KTVK-TV (Channel 3). The link was originally posted Tuesday by a reader in the comments section, but it’s worth mention here. Again, the same warning that applies to the downloaded document should also apply to clinking on the audio link. Though the sound is fuzzy and tough to hear, the language is not for sensitive ears.
Programming note: The trial is scheduled to resume Monday morning.
