A Shot in the Dark: the Murder of Ron Hauser

Ron Hauser: A shot in the Dark

Ron Hauser was alone watching Rockford Files on TV at 9:26 PM on December 30, 2011, when a bullet came crashing through his window and shot him in the chest. His heart was shredded and he died immediately. Ron was well loved by many friends and relatives. He didn’t seem to have enemies. He lived out in the country on his 50 to 60 acre residence on a nearly ½ mile driveway in Iosco Township in Livingston County in Lower Michigan. The house couldn’t be seen from the road. Ron is said to have worked very hard in his youth and was able to afford some nice things. He was a tree trimer who hired day labor, but was able to work just weekends from spring through fall and take the winters off. The only light on in the house was in his walkout basement. He lived alone.

His girlfriend began to miss him the next day. He was expected to be a brother’s house for a New Year’s Eve celebration. They began to call throughout the day but no answer. Finally his neighbor and his brother went to check on him only to find him slain in his walkout basement. The window was broken with the glass shards inside and the sliding glass door unlocked and ajar. Ron always kept that door locked witnesses said.  

The crime scene didn’t reveal finger prints, tire tracks, or DNA. The murder weapon was never found.  There were no witnesses. There was a spent shotgun plug in the corner of the walkout basement that the police presumed was from the shot that killed Ron. Note there was a bullet hole behind Ron in the wall as well.

It is presumed that money was the motive. Ron always carried a “knuckle” he called it. Many people say it and could testify that it was likely to have been thousands in cash. Ron didn’t trust banks. And he liked to be able to make a cash deal if he saw something he could use. You can get a discount when you have ready cash, he knew. Yet, no cash was found in the house. A small house safe was found empty in Ron’s bedroom. An attic opening was left open where it could be presumed the safe was stored.

September 2015, Anthony Duke is brought to trial for his murder. Anthony Duke is a soft spoken, a nonthreatening man. He had associations with Ron Hauser over the years as a worker. Anthony Duke had a prior criminal record.

Suspicion was drawn to Anthony Duke when someone reported seeing a Facebook post by Duke posing the question “$30k. What to do? What to do?”

How was Anthony Duke convicted? The detective for the case checked known associates of Mr. Hauser. Anthony Duke’s alibi was the only the detective couldn’t clear. Initially, Duke said he was with his live-in girlfriend the night Ron was killed.

The Facebook post raised suspicion and the police came back to Anthony Duke. His live-in girlfriend said he’d left that night for a period of time. After that alibi was blown, he then remembered he had gone to get gas in Fowlerville several miles away about 9:00 o’clock, which accounted for his absence. He lived on a mile and a half away from Mr. Hauser’s house. Time enough to visit Mr. Hauser’s house and return within a short while. This raised suspicions. Since Duke’s girlfriend testified that it was his habit to save every receipt but not the one he used to purchase the gasoline that evening. The detective went to the Mobil gas station in Fowlerville and went to the two gasoline pumps that Anthony Duke might have used for the period in question 9:00 to 10:00 pm December 30, 2011 but found none for the amount Duke said he purchased the gas for. There was no receipt for that amount retained either. The security tapes had been destroyed, albeit if Anthony had been more forthright in the beginning they may have been able to access those.

Another thing to consider: only someone familiar with the property and the house’s location on it and where Ron Hauser would likely to be, would be the murderer. A stranger wouldn’t even see the house from the road, would have seen a dark house and not realize that Ron was downstairs watching TV in the walkout basement which was not viewable when you pulled up in the drive.

By the way it was known that he was killed at 9:26 pm because he fell over as he was shot and broke his watch which read 9:26 pm. Ron was a creature of habit. He always watched Fox news at 10:00 pm but the TV remained on the channel that hosted Rockford Files. So it is very likely that he was shot in the 9 to 10 hour, plus he had talked to his brother for 40 minutes with phone records showing the call ended around 9:15 pm. This is the time that Duke was out of the house.

There were two sabots (shot gun shell casings) in the yard along with cigarette butts and a beer can. The two sabots matched the type of shot gun Duke was likely to have known to have had in his possession when Ron was shot, a Mossberg 12 gauge. Derek Duke, his step brother, saw a Mossberg 12 gauge in the possession of Anthony.

Anthony Duke’s girlfriend testified that Duke had a Mossberg 12 gauge shot gun. Anthony Duke told police he didn’t own a gun. Yet, at the time he possessed a Mossberg 12 gauge shot gun he’d borrowed.   This type of sabot was found in Anthony Duke’s yard and at Anthony Duke’s step-father’s yard as well. Jim Duke, the step-father, testified that he never shot guns at Anthony’s. Anthony always came over to visit him.

Jim Duke had some interesting things to report. He appears to have had his suspicions. He noticed that Anthony suddenly had money. Jim Duke said that he knew that Anthony took money from Ron in the past without his knowledge. Jim Duke was taken back by the fact that Anthony had no reaction to Ron’s death. Anthony Duke had asked him if he had any business accounts he could sell. This will be important when the explanation of the cash by the defense comes up. His step-dad says that he spent most of his time scrapping: selling iron/copper scrap.

A former close friend, who used to work for Ron as well and lived with Anthony Duke for a time, came all the way from San Antonio, Texas to testify that in 2006 he’d heard Anthony say in all seriousness that I can go get Ron Hauser’s money and I’d shot him if I had to.

Ashley Cuffleman, former girlfriend, was living with Anthony in December 2011, the time of the shooting. She confirms that Anthony Duke, on parole mind you and prohibited from owning a gun, possessed a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun at the time. Ashley also testified that Anthony took the White Pickup that usually had the shotgun hidden under the seat to go get the purported gas on the night of the murder.

It was discovered that Anthony purchased 3 boxes of Winchester sabot style 12 gauge shotgun rounds at Walmart on November 14^th 2011.

On November 9, 2011 Anthony got a traffic ticket and it was confirmed he was in possession of a shotgun. So I am not sure why nothing happened to Anthony on parole and in possession of firearms.

December 31, 2011 suddenly Anthony has cash. The day after Ron’s murder Anthony and girlfriend treated themselves with a night out the local Best Western; that’s on New Year’s Eve. Admittedly we don’t know how frequently this type of night occurred for them but based on the knowledge they were hurting financially you wouldn’t think too often. Then Anthony buys a new pickup truck and a zero turn mower that usually costs a few thousand.

More evidence implicated Anthony Duke. The court got to hear his jail house recorded conversation with Ashley subsequent to his arrest and incarceration in which he urges her to “do the thing I asked you to do.” Ashley testifies that the thing Anthony wanted him to do was to buy a new Mossberg 12 gauge and proffer it to the police, as the gun Anthony had been using during the time of the murder. This was hoped to put the police off the track, since it wouldn’t match the bullets at the crime scene.

Anthony Duke never took the witness stand.

Some things to think about. There was DNA on the beer can in the yard. It didn’t match Anthony Duke’s. There was a foot print in the broken glass inside Ron’s walk out basement. It didn’t match Anthony Duke’s. They never found the supposed murder weapon, the Mossberg 12 gauge, even though they looked in 5 ponds in the area. No one witnessed the crime. The question remained, was there money actually stolen, since none was found? Ron kept his “knuckle” on top of the freezer inside the door from the garage in a plastic baggy. It was empty but had an edge of a passport resting over it. The significance of that is why would the thief bother to position the passport over the baggy after emptying the baggy. It’s easier to presume the baggy may have been empty to begin with.   There was an empty safe found in Ron’s bedroom. We can presume it had money but it was empty.

Note however that the sabots matching a Mossberg 12 gauge were found at Ron’s, Anthony’s Step-father’s and his house. Only Anthony was at all three places.

Anthony Duke was convicted after a short period of deliberation by the 44^th Circuit Court jury.

He was sentenced to life for felony murder, 15-25 years for 1^st degree home invasion, and 10-15 years for possession of a fire arm by a felon. He continued to maintain his innocence and said he considered Ron a friend, a boss and like a brother. He was sorry that the detectives lied, manipulated and deceived the jury. He said he looks forward to appeal and arrest of the true killer.

The appellate court in 2017 deemed there was sufficient evidence to convict Mr. Duke. As you probably know, appellate courts are meant in large part to determine if the correct law was applied to a particular case. The jury is the trier of fact and is rarely overruled based on the facts of the case.

Based on conversations with friends and family at the trial, Ron is sorely missed.