Hoffman Estates man's family soldiers on
Ian Hauser always expected to become a father one day.
He just never expected it to come first as a result of his brother being stabbed to death, leaving behind a 12-year-old son. But Ian Hauser stepped into the role his late brother Terrance Michael Hauser, or Mike, once took on for his three younger brothers.
“He was caretaker to the three of us,” said Ian Hauser, 35. “It was God, Dad, Mike. ... He would chew through a wall if there was something on the other side you needed.”
Mike Hauser, 38, of Hoffman Estates was stabbed 61 times on March 5, 2008, at his apartment by Joseph Biedermann, a man he'd met in a nearby bar several hours earlier.
A Rolling Meadows jury acquitted Biedermann, 32, of first-degree murder charges in 2009, after Biedermann claimed in court that he stabbed Hauser in self-defense when Hauser tried to assault him.
Yet, the crime scene showed few signs of a struggle, the family's attorney pointed out during a civil trial against Biedermann, in which the Hauser family accused him of the wrongful death of their loved one.
As evidence, their attorney Michael LaMonica pointed to photographs of half-full wine glasses, undisturbed on a table mere feet from where Hauser's body was found, and the medieval-style dagger used to kill him, which lay on a shelf under the table.
Last week a Chicago jury gave the Hauser family the verdict they've sought for three years. Jurors found Biedermann responsible for Hauser's death and ordered him to pay Hauser's son $600,000 in compensatory damages. Biedermann and his family declined to comment on the judgment.
After Mike's death, his family rallied around his now 14-year-old son and the boy's mother, Kathryn, Hauser's former girlfriend who asked that her son not be identified to protect his privacy.
“In some ways, we've gotten closer,” said Catherine Meyers, mother of Mike and his brothers. “(My grandson) is everybody's concern, and we're much more connected with him and aware of his needs.”
Right now, his mother and the rest of the family are concentrating on helping the teenager navigate adolescence and deal with his grief, said Meyers, a clinical psychologist.
“He's lost that special relationship a son can only have with his father. That space is void,” said Meyers, who testified during the trial that her grandson has become withdrawn and has lost direction.
As a result, “we as a family have become more aware of carrying on Mike's role,” she said.
To that end, Ian Hauser — first-time father to 5-month-old triplets — stepped in as surrogate dad. Before his death, Mike was teaching his son “the ways of the world,” said Ian.
He's picked up where his brother left off, teaching his nephew to respect others, appreciate nature, understand the value of hard work and know that money isn't everything.
Ian Hauser also schooled his nephew in mundane tasks. Two weeks ago, he taught him to shave. In a few years, he'll likely help teach him to drive.
The civil suit was a way for the Hauser family to teach Mike's son something about the pursuit of justice. Still, after the disappointing verdict in the criminal trial, Ian Hauser found it difficult to return to a courtroom.
“I didn't want to go through the emotions again. It's incredibly painful,” he said. “But it's not about me, it's about (my nephew).”
And it was never about money, said Ian Hauser. The jury finding Biedermann complicit in Hauser's death and awarding his son $600,000 in damages vindicated Mike, he said.
“It's justice. Finally,” said Ian Hauser, adding that the verdict helped put to rest the allegations Biedermann made against his brother.
“This judgment shows that his story is just that, it's a story. It's unbelievable, and we're not the only ones who are saying it,” Hauser said.
Finally, the civil verdict heralds the beginning of healing for the family, particularly Mike's son.
The challenge for his mother and the rest of the family is to “make sure he uses this as an experience to better himself and not as a reason to fail,” Hauser said.
They don't intend to let that happen.