Paul Patrick
The man considered the “face of the victims” during the Serial Shooter trial appears to be chasing off death once again, surviving a second near-fatal experience that was a likely result of his 2006 attack.
Paul Patrick nearly died three years ago after serial killers Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman pulled up beside him in a car and put a shotgun blast into his abdomen as he walked down a Phoenix street. Patrick spent several weeks under intensive care at a local hospital before defying the expectations of doctors and police, and making an incredible recovery.
Today, Patrick is doing it again. The 48-year-old collapsed more than three weeks ago from a stroke, which doctors believed was a complication of the shotgun pellets that remain lodged inside his torso. He had spent most of the time since then once more under intensive care. At times, he was surviving only minute-by-minute. During the past several days, however, Patrick was moved out of intensive care and into a local rehabilitation ward.
I visited Patrick today in his new location, and the improvement was noticeable immediately. His face and arms were no longer swollen, and the tubes that were previously keeping him alive were nowhere to be seen. He can speak and appeared fully coherent, even funny at times. It was a far cry from the condition he was in at the beginning of this month.
Patrick was an enduring figure during the trial of Dale Hausner. As one of the few survivors to attend the trial at all, he saw himself as the face of the victims and was in the courtroom every day, without fail.
Then on Feb. 26, the final day of closing arguments, Patrick was mysteriously absent. It turned out he suffered a stroke that morning and collapsed in his Phoenix home. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed a number of urgent, life-saving surgeries. For at least two weeks, it was unclear whether he would survive.
In the meantime, a jury convicted Hausner of six murders and numerous other shootings, including the attack on Patrick. Hausner is now facing the death penalty as the next phase of his trial begins on Monday. Patrick’s family released a statement saying that he smiled when he heard the news.
Patrick is still likely facing a long road to recovery. But by all indications today, he is well on his way.