Phoenix 'Serial Shooter' trial under way

PHOENIX, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The serial murder trial of an Arizona man accused of killing eight people during a 16-month shooting spree got under way in Phoenix, prosecutors said.

Dale Hausner, 35, of Mesa, Ariz., is accused of randomly shooting eight people to death and wounding 18 more in the "Serial Shooter" case, as well as killing three horses and six dogs over a 16-month period in 2005 and 2006. Maricopa County prosecutors opened their case against him Monday, The Arizona Republic reported.

County prosecutors made their case against Hausner by displaying photos of the human victims and dead animals one at a time on a large-screen TV in the courtroom.

In his opening statements, Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Vince Imbordino told jurors, "This is going to be a long painful, bloody road. This is not a crime show. People were actually killed. The bullets were real, the blood was real. The fear was real. The pain was real."

Hausner has steadfastly maintained his innocence, telling the Republic that co-defendant Samuel Dieteman was the trigger man in the slayings. Dieteman has pleaded guilty to two murders and will testify against Hausner, the newspaper said.