Dale Hausner is shown shaking hands with boxer Mike Tyson in this undated photograph. Submitted
Live from the courtroom: What was Dale Hausner’s alleged motive for the Serial Shooter killing spree? “Celebrity,” said prosecutor Laura Reckart in her closing argument for Hausner’s eight-count murder trial.
Hausner had spent years trying to become a known personality in the local boxing scene. He had his own cable access television show about boxing. He photographed matches throughout the southwest. He even appeared on a TV commercial for the local law firm Phillips & Associates, which represented him in a lawsuit.
But Reckart said that wasn’t enough for Hausner. He wanted to be known far and wide, she said. “He wanted to be renowned, a legend, a pioneer,” said Reckart.
As the Serial Shooter killings continued, Hausner collected newspaper clippings about the crimes. He also kept a videotape of a segment about the crimes that aired on the nationally broadcast television show, “America’s Most Wanted.”
“Celebrity status was his desire,” Reckart said. “These articles and the video were his trophies.”
Hausner’s trial is coming to a close this week in a downtown Phoenix courtroom. Hausner has pleaded not guilty to each of the 87 crimes charged to him, including the eight murders. He continues to insist he was not involved with any of the shootings.