Serial-Killer Suspects Accuse Each Other in Letters to 'Arizona Republic'

By: E&P Staff Lawyers often decline to talk to reporters, saying they don't want to try their case in the press. But in separate letters to the editor, two men accused of being serial killers took their cases directly to The Arizona Republic -- each accusing the other of being the real murderer of a Phoenix man.

The Case of the Dueling Letters to the Editor was revealed in a Republic article Thursday by Michael Kiefer. In addition to calling his former roommate a serial killer, one of the writers takes time to complain about the photo of him the Republic is running.

"Could you possibly put a worse photo of me in the paper?" Dale Hausner wrote. "Maybe you should photo-shop one of me with devil horns. That would sell a lot of papers."

Hausner, 35, and Samuel Dieteman, 32, have been accused of being the "Serial Shooters," who during a 14-month reign of terror murdered eight people and wounded another 17.

Dieteman, the Republic said, has admitted having a role in two of the murders, while Hausner is charged with all eight of them.

The accused killers are arguing about who killed a homeless man in November 2005. The dispute was touched off when the Republic reported that Dieteman had implicated Hausner and Hausner's older brother Jeff in the shotgun slaying.

Both Dale Hausner and Dieteman fired off letters that arrived the same day at the newspaper.

Hausner says Dieteman and someone else "probably" killed the homeless man, "which is how Sam had such detailed info on this shooting even though he claims he wasn't there for it."

In his letter, the Republic reported, Dieteman confesses to one murder and to involvement in two other shootings with Hausner, but says, in effect, he came late to the killing spree. He didn't know Hausner until months after the homeless man was killed, Dieteman wrote.

"I am in no way trying to play 'Mr. Innocent,' as Dale Hausner is. I have taken responsibility for my crimes," Dieteman wrote. "I signed a plea agreement to where I'm still going to 'death row.' The only benefits I get out of that deal are avoiding an unnecessary trial and being able to help put Hausner away. I am not looking for attention -- I've had all I can handle for my part in these disgusting crimes -- just honesty."

And he's also looking for a photo that favors him a little more than the Republic's file shot, Dieteman suggested with his crack about adding devil's horns.