ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — John McCluskey was arrested wearing one of the victims’ caps. But his defense attorney Monday said prosecutors will be unable to prove that the escaped Arizona prison inmate shot and then incinerated a retired Oklahoma couple after they crossed paths with a trio of criminals at a highway rest area.
The government’s whole case, Michael Burt said in opening statements, hangs solely on the testimony of his two alleged accomplices: one a man who has a history of violent crimes and drug abuse, the other a woman who the defense team contends has repeatedly lied to investigators.
Additional Photos
Burt questioned their credibility, noting they both made deals with federal prosecutors and avoided the death penalty.
“Our defense is going to be the government can’t prove without a reasonable doubt that John McCluskey pulled the trigger and killed Gary and Linda Haas,” he said.
McCluskey is facing capital murder and 19 other charges in the 2010 carjacking and slaying of the retirees from Tecumseh, Okla.
Prosecutor Greg Fouratt said “unspeakable crimes” resulted from the tragic collision on Aug. 2, 2010, of the Oklahoma couple’s annual camping trip to Colorado with the flight of McCluskey, a fellow escapee and an accomplice.
“Ultimately this case is about the targeting, the carjacking, the shooting to death and the incinerating of a husband and wife,” said Fouratt, who said the Haases were married more than 40 years.
Fouratt said his team plans to call about 50 witnesses and jurors will be shown a few hundred exhibits, including photographs and audio and video clips.
An audience that included family and friends of the victims packed the courtroom for Monday’s opening statements. The trial is expected to last up to four months.
It took nearly three weeks for attorneys to settle on a jury of eight women and four men. Dozens of prospective jurors were questioned about everything from their understanding of the justice system to their opinions about the death penalty.
McCluskey made no secret of his desire to steer clear of a trial and the death penalty. He agreed to plea negotiations earlier this year, but federal prosecutors said they were intent on moving to trial.
Prosecutors have said the Haases, both 61, were targeted for their pickup truck and travel trailer when they stopped at a rest area near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
According to court documents, they were forced at gunpoint to drive to a desolate spot off of Interstate 40, where they were then ordered into their trailer and shot. The truck and trailer were then driven miles down a series of dirt roads to a more remote location. The trailer was unhitched and torched, with the Haases’ bodies inside.
During Fouratt’s opening statement in court Monday, the prosecution displayed photos of the fugitives’ weapons and of the burned-out trailer. To provide timelines for the separate trips of the victims and the fugitives, the prosecution showed images from surveillance cameras at various locations. One of them showed Gary Haas wearing the John Deere cap that McCluskey was wearing when arrested.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.