Dally Was in Control of Affair, Says Co-Worker

Two months before his wife vanished, accused murderer Michael Dally lamented to a co-worker that the pressures of pleasing both his wife and his mistress were “killing him.”

Dally’s struggling marriage and his two-year love affair with grocery clerk Diana Haun were a hot topic of conversation for the night crew at Vons, grocery worker Jason County testified Thursday.

“He said it was hard having two women,” County said, adding that despite his complaints, Dally seemed to enjoy the attention. “He said that whatever he wanted them to do, they would do.”

What Dally ultimately wanted, prosecutors say, was for Haun to kill his wife, Sherri, to avoid a pricey divorce. He is charged with murder, kidnapping and conspiracy in his wife’s death.

Haun was convicted of the same charges last year and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Dally’s attorneys argue she was a “wacko” mistress who decided to end the love triangle by fatally stabbing her lover’s wife.

According to County, Dally’s control over Haun included having sex with her in the parking lot at Vons. And her obsession with him was demonstrated by her returning to work at 4 a.m. to serve him homemade sushi during his lunch break, County said.

He testified that another co-worker said he once opened the door to Dally’s parked van and found Dally and a naked Haun inside.

“He liked his women to be obedient,” County said. “I told him one time that Ms. Haun was like a puppy. He said, ‘I know.’ ”

County worked the night shift with Dally for the year preceding Sherri Dally’s disappearance on May 6, 1996. He said he considered the defendant a friend and told jurors that they often talked about personal subjects while stocking shelves.

“We’re all close,” he said of the five people who worked on the night crew at a Vons store in Oxnard. “It’s like a family.”

For nearly two hours, County testified about Dally’s relationship with Haun, his wife and statements Dally made after his wife was reported missing.

And he told jurors that a day after the 35-year-old homemaker vanished, he saw Michael Dally at Oxnard Airport--the same place where Haun rented a car used in the kidnapping. The car was later recovered by authorities. The back seat was soaked in Sherri Dally’s blood.

According to earlier testimony, Haun rented a teal-colored Nissan Altima from Oxnard Airport on May 5, 1996. Sherri Dally was seen getting into the back seat of a teal-colored car the next day in a Target parking lot.

County testified that on May 7, he saw Dally pull into the same airport parking lot about 3 p.m. He said Dally was driving his black van and appeared to have someone else in the vehicle.

But during cross-examination, defense attorney James M. Farley questioned the witness’ memory, citing inconsistent statements County made to investigators and police about the sighting.

“Mr. County, how are you sure it was May 7?” he asked.

“I know it was the seventh,” County responded, “because I just found out that his wife hadn’t come home.”

Farley also questioned how County could have recognized Dally while driving fast in the opposite direction. Asked if he was speeding at the time, County chuckled and replied: “I’ll take the Fifth on that one.”

In terms of his general opinion of Dally, he described the 37-year-old defendant as smart, outgoing and manipulative. Deputy Dist. Atty. Lela Henke-Dobroth asked who was the dominant figure in Haun and Dally’s relationship. County replied without hesitation: Dally.

“Whatever he said,” County replied, “she would do.”

County said that when Haun started working at Vons, she was shy and quiet. But over time, he said, her demeanor changed. She began to wear sexy, suggestive clothing and went out of her way to please Dally, bringing him elaborate dinners during the night shift and calling him at work.

She became so “obsessed” with Dally, County said, that he likened the affair to a 1987 movie thriller about a married man and his psychotic lover, who stalked him, threatened his family and killed the family’s pet bunny.

“I used to call him Michael Douglas and her Glenn Close from ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ” County said.

A week before Sherri Dally disappeared, Haun came to the Oxnard Vons store where they all worked and met with Dally three or four times, which was unusual in its frequency, County said.

County also testified about Dally’s demeanor after his wife vanished.

“When he came back to work, it was weird,” County said. “He was real happy. . . . Everyone thought that he was in denial that his wife was gone. He was all bubbly and happy.”

But during cross-examination, County acknowledged that Dally’s behavior may have been a front to other co-workers.

And at the conclusion of his testimony, Farley asked County if it was true that he was considering writing a book about the high-profile murder case, which has received national media attention.

“I joke about it all the time,” County said. “I’m dyslexic though. It would be a short story.”

County was among seven witnesses who testified Thursday, including the Vons store manager, a Target employee and a Tarzana man who rented the same Nissan Altima a week later. The Tarzana man described the car as being dirty and said that when he touched the steering wheel it was sticky.

“This whole car was a strange car,” said Richard Stefanec. “I was certainly glad when I turned it back in.”

Testimony is scheduled to resume today.