Of the two shotguns seized from Dale Hausner’s property on the night of his arrest, neither one had his fingerprints on them, a Mesa police fingerprint analyst testified this afternoon. Instead, investigators found six fingerprints of Samuel Dieteman, the man believed to be Hausner’s co-conspirator, on one of the guns and two mystery prints — which could not be linked to either suspect — on the other gun, said analyst Kelly Speckels.
This is significant for Hausner’s defense. Throughout the trial, his attorney, Ken Everett, has floated the theory that Dieteman (pictured) took his friend’s guns and car and did all the shootings by himself. Dieteman has already pleaded guilty to two homicides in the Serial Shooter killing spree and agreed to testify early next year against Hausner, who has maintained his innocence.
This information is also a big deal because it means Hausner, so far, has not been connected forensically to any murder weapon. In the early part of the killing spree, authorities believe the Serial Shooter used a .22 caliber rifle. However, no such rifle was ever recovered from Hausner’s property. Investigators also believe Dieteman was only present for the later part of the spree, which all took place using shotguns. Though Dieteman will point the finger at Hausner for the later shootings, he probably has no intimate knowledge of the earlier shootings.
It’s not clear how damaging the analyst’s testimony is to the case. She was intended to be a witness for the prosecution, but this information seems to more strongly benefit the defense.
>>>”This information is also a big deal because…”<<<
Big deal? What are they teaching journalists these days?
Now I’m waiting for an article on how Light Rail is totally rad.
Mark