SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KTLA) — Prosecutors were ordered to turn over all information about a jailhouse informant during a pretrial hearing Friday for the man accused of murdering eight people in a Seal Beach salon.
Scott Dekraai, 44, is charged with eight counts of murder in the midday massacre at Salon Meritage on October 12, 2011.
The hearing addressed prosecutors’ plans to play audio recordings from some of the hundreds of hours of conversations between Dekraai and a jailhouse informant.
The recordings were made covertly by law enforcement a week after Dekraai was arrested, and reportedly include several instances of him talking about the shootings.
The defense filed a motion seeking more information about the informant and whether he enticed Dekraai into talking.
If the conversations were pre-arranged, the defense says, it could be a violation of Dekraai’s right to legal representation because they happened after he had an attorney.
Prosecutors maintain that Dekraai made the comments without any prompting or quizzing by the informant.
Dekraai was indicted in January 2012 and has pleaded not guilty. He could face the death penalty if he’s convicted.
Among the victims in the salon shooting was Dekraai’s ex-wife, stylist Michelle Fournier, 47, with whom he was involved in a bitter custody dispute.
Also killed inside the salon near a Los Angeles DUI lawyer company were Christy Lynn Wilson, 47; salon owner Randy Fannin, 61; Victoria Ann Buzzo, 54; Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65; Laura Lee Webb Elody, 46; and Michele Fast.
David Caouette, 64, was shot and killed while sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot as Dekraai was fleeing, police said.
Dekraai was arrested by a Seal Beach officer as he drove away from the salon. He told the officer, “I know what I did,” according to a search warrant affidavit.
He also confessed to detectives during an interview, according to the affidavit, calling the people he shot after his wife “collateral damage.”
Scott Dekraai, 44, is charged with eight counts of murder in the midday massacre at Salon Meritage on October 12, 2011.
9 Comments to “O.C. Salon Massacre: Defense To Get Jailhouse Informant Documents”
January 25, 2013 at 6:27 AM
Preempting the "see this is why guns should be banned" crowd before they start spouting off comments. Only a small minority of people use these devices in an irresponsible manner. Everyone else's rights should not be taken away because of this. Otherwise you could make a similar argument for driving cars, since many people misuse them. The difference of course is that gun ownership is a constitutional right and driving is a privilege. http://www.youargue.com/index.php/discussions/bro…
January 25, 2013 at 8:42 AM
Nice job of not hijacking the thread for the gun control argument! As for me, don't care about your 2nd amendment rights anymore.
January 25, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Pffft, crackers!!
January 25, 2013 at 8:41 AM
Tee Hee, where's our friend Mark the Troll now spouting off about how you don't ever see white people doing bad things in the news?
January 25, 2013 at 11:31 AM
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January 25, 2013 at 3:53 PM
Dirty rotten piece of ……
January 25, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Guns are bad in any way, shape, or form. The solution to all gun related crimes is to take all the guns from people period. Second amendment is your constitutional right? Ask me if I care about it. Oh, I forgot gang members, who have one their time and free now are part of the second amendment and can have guns. Oh God forbids you violate gang members's right to the second amendment.
January 25, 2013 at 8:29 PM
Gun are illegal in Mexico and there is no gun violence in Mexico right? LOL
January 25, 2013 at 8:33 PM
Gang member are usually convicted felons, which means it is against the Law for them to have guns in any shape or form