Dale Hausner
Live from the courtroom: Before the defense rested its case this afternoon, jurors got a chance to ask defendant Dale Hausner a number of questions at the end of his testimony. It had the potential to be a window into the minds of the jury with a verdict potentially just weeks away. But Judge Roland Steinle cut the questions short, telling jurors many of them had already been answered.
“You may or may not be disappointed in my decision in this matter,” Steinle said. He asked the jury not to read anything into the decision.
In Maricopa County, jurors can ask a witness questions by writing them on a sheet of paper and handing them to the judge. The judge and attorneys then weed through the questions and the judge does the asking.
Steinle said the jury handed him 49 sheets of questions — considerably more than for any other witness during the trial. They wanted to know whether Hausner was taking any medication during his testimony, about Hausner and Samuel Dieteman’s relationship, and more info about Hausner’s guns.
Stienle told attorneys and the jury, however, that he was not going to ask questions about a number of topics, including about Hausner’s day planner, which was covered extensively by both the defense and prosecution. “I don’t mean to be very limiting, but I know at this time, Mr. Hausner has been on the stand for four days,” Steinle said. (Today was actually Hausner’s sixth day on the stand.)
In total, Steinle asked just a little more than a dozen questions, with none eliciting any surprise or particular insight. Some 20 minutes later, after brief testimony from detective Clark Schwartzkopf, the lead investigator in the Serial Shooter case, the defense rested its case.