Kudos to the Phoenix Cops--For NowBut
this story may not be over yet.
Phoenix has had two separate sets of serial killings over the past year. These arrests solve one of the sets; the Baseline Killer's still out there. But there is a hint in this story that the cops may come in for some criticism on this case:
Police were tipped to the men when an acquaintance of Dieteman told a detective that he knew one of the primary suspects in the Serial Shooter case. The man told the detective Dieteman "would drive through the cities selecting random targets which he referred to as 'RV' Random Recreational Violence,' " the statement said.
The statement does not say when police learned the suspects' identities. On Friday, police also refused to say when they were first tipped off.Gee, wonder why they wouldn't say when? Maybe it's because of this?
A three-page "probable cause" statement filed by Phoenix police laying out the case said the men used a .410-gauge shotgun in the shooting spree, including the killings of 22-year-old Robin Blasnek on Sunday night in Mesa and Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz, 20, who was shot as she was walking in the 6100 block of East Thomas Road in Scottsdale on May 2.Seems to me somebody's going to be very interested in whether the cops were told about Dieteman before Sunday night. Not trying to rain on the parade here; it's just that aspect leaped out at me the moment I read it.
