SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There was an outpour of relief seen on social media as Matthew Dieringer sits in custody Saturday night.
Just before 9 a.m. on Sept. 6, a citizen called to report seeing a man they believed to be Dieringer around 13th Street and Indian School in Phoenix. This tip to police helped get this man off the streets less than a week after allegedly killing a local man.
What they’re saying:
“Not his first rodeo, so he’s been around,” retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lance Leising said.
Leising, who spent his career with the FBI encountering violent criminals, said hearing Scottsdale police refer to 35-year-old suspected killer Matthew Dieringer as “charismatic” doesn’t surprise him.
“It almost was an ego thing, like they felt like they were smarter and better than the individual either they committed the crime against or the law enforcement officers investigating that crime,” Leising said.
The backstory:
Dieringer was arrested on a probation violation Saturday in Phoenix, but Scottsdale police said evidence in the Labor Day homicide of Frank Quaranta pointed to him as their main suspect.
The suspect was known to befriend people and get them to allow him to stay at their homes. This could be what connected him to Quaranta, who was reportedly known for helping homeless people through his church.
Dieringer has a criminal past, serving18 months in Colorado after he was convicted of torturing and dismembering his roommate’s two dogs. According to Leising, this is a violent sign that he could escalate to humans.
“It’s not so much the violence to the animals, or the animal abuse, it’s really that people are desensitized to these issues early on in life and violence or animal abuse is indicative of that desensitization,” Leising said.
He added that it’s likely that Dieringer spent months gaining access and trust with Quaranta, all with a sinister motive.
“It could’ve been a crime of passion, something that the opportunity just presented itself right away, but with the history here that we’re showing, this individual probably always had this plan and was working their way to the end goal,” Leising said.
What’s next:
Charges for Dieringer outside the probation violation are pending at this time.
Map of where a caller reported seeing Dieringer on the morning of Sept. 6.
The Source: This information was gathered from FOX 10’s Nicole Krasean, who spoke with Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lance Leising.
Crime and Public SafetyScottsdaleNews