Dally Prosecutors Begin Summations

Pointing to a web of circumstantial evidence, prosecutors began summing up their case Wednesday by telling jurors it was Michael Dally--not his lover Diana Haun--who was the driving force behind the 1996 slaying of his wife Sherri Dally.

He was the one driven by lust, love, anger and greed, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lela Henke-Dobroth argued. And, she said, he was the one who sought out a willing and impressionable accomplice to do his bidding.

“The defendant wanted Sherri Dally to disappear, he wanted her to suffer painfully,” Henke-Dobroth told a packed courtroom during a five-hour closing summation. “He wanted her to be hurt as much as he perceived she was hurting him by keeping him trapped like a caged animal in a marriage he couldn’t get out of.”

But rather than endure the financial strain of a divorce, Dally decided to get rid of his wife by having Haun kill her, the prosecutor said.

Haun, 36, was convicted of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy last fall and sentenced to life in prison. Dally, 37, is facing the same charges and a possible death sentence if found guilty. The former grocery store employee has denied the charges.

Dally’s lawyers have suggested Haun acted alone in crafting an elaborate murder scheme. They have described her as a “wacko” and a “psychotic crazy lady” who would stop at nothing to hold onto the man she loved.

But prosecutors say the majority of evidence presented during the six-week trial paints a different picture--one in which Michael Dally emerges as the mastermind behind his wife’s killing and the manipulative schemer who later lies to police to cover up the crime.

Henke-Dobroth slowly went through a 47-point list--titled “Evidence of Guilt”--projected on a white screen at the front of the courtroom.

She discussed the defendant’s previous relationship with girlfriend Sallie Lowe, who testified that Dally told her years before he had met Haun that he hated his wife and wanted her killed.

“When you look at the evidence in this case, can you say Michael Dally never knew Diana Haun had killed his wife?” the prosecutor asked jurors. “You have to believe that to buy the defense.”

The prosecution will resume its closing summation this morning, followed by arguments by the defense.