GUILTY CA - Eight killed, 1 injured in Seal Beach salon shooting, 12 Oct 2011

[JoeFromLB]

Mourners are very upset at the possibility of an insanity defense:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-seal-beach-react-20111016,0,1880992.story

 

[Leila]

This article has a full account of the court events between the murderer and Ms. Fournier. The L.A. Times rarely gets their facts wrong, so this is probably the one to read: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1014-seal-beach-gunman-20111014,0,2813337.story



I know. I can't stop thinking about it. I too was feeling vulnerable afterwards. But I have on many occasions in public places over the years because of these mass shootings.

I just have to tell myself that it is very hard to predict and this kind of rampage is thankfully rare.

But this one is so close to home. I've been so sad, every day about it.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, the D.A.'s press conference is very good. Rackauckas really laid it out, with compassion - much like he did at the press conference announcing the arrests of the two cops who murdered Kelly Thomas.

At about minute 6:15 or so, in the tape I linked to above, the D.A. can barely talk, and seems overcome with emotion, his lips trembling, as he talks about the poor son of Fournier and the shooter, waiting in vain for a parent to pick him up that day. Too bad the child's own father couldn't muster up enough care and love and emotion for his son as the D.A., who never even knew him, has.

Here is a link to several L.A. Times blogs (they all are on one page), which discuss the shooting and the arraignment of the murderer. One article discusses how family members shouted "coward" and "I hate you!" at the murderer. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/salon-shooting/

There is a great slideshow on this link: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Seal-Beach-911-Audio-131887443.html

It shows Fournier with her beautiful son.

BTW, for any who are confused, there are two booking photos of the murderer. One, is when he was first booked into the Seal Beach station. The second - in which the &*#!#% is smiling, is when he was booked into the larger, Orange County jail. I despise him.

Here's another article that outlines some of the court dealings and the murderers actions prior to the massacre. It also talks about how some father's rights activists are supporting the murders and advocating more of the same!

http://jezebel.com/5849925/mens-rights-activists-come-out-in-support-of-salon-killer

June 12, 2006: Fox News broke into regular broadcasting with breaking news that downtown Reno, Nevada was on lock down as a sniper had shot a judge who was sitting in his chambers on the third floor of the courthouse. The police cleared people from the streets and sidewalks hurrying them into stores for protection, while they hunted for the sniper.

Meanwhile, a man named Dan Osborne had called LE a couple of times to report that he thought something had happened to his friend's ex-wife. According to Dan Osborne, his friend, Darren Mack, had called him and told him that his ex-wife, Charla, was bringing their 8-year-old daughter to his townhouse that morning and he wanted Dan to stay with the daughter in the townhouse while he spoke with Charla downstairs in the garage. Dan said that as he and the daughter watched television, he heard his dog, which he had left in his car, barking and he got up to check. At that moment, Darren came running up the stairs from the garage with his hand wrapped in a towel and ran by him. Seconds later Dan's dog came running up the stairs covered in blood. Dan's immediate reaction was to take the daughter and the dog and leave. He was frightened.

When police investigated, they found drops of blood on the driveway and no one answered the door at Darren Mack's townhouse. LE obtained a search warrant and searched the townhouse. They found Charla Mack dead in the garage, stabbed to death with her head nearly severed. They also found a rental slip for a silver Ford Explorer. Further searches of the townhouse turned up lots of ammunition for a rifle, and a lot of literature from a father's rights group.

Within hours it was known that it was Darren Mack who had shot the judge (bullet removed from the judge's chest matched ammunition found in Mack's townhouse). The judge was the family court judge that presided over the Mack's divorce which was not yet final.

Darren Mack was found in Mexico 12 days later and negotiated to turn himself in.

Throughout this case, the fathers rights group supported Darren Mack, and even looked upon him as a hero. The fathers rights group posted on various forums (not here at WS), with their support of Darren Mack.

Darren Mack was convicted in 2008 and is serving a life sentence in Nevada State Prison.

I bring this case up as I think we'll see the same type of support from the fathers rights group for Scott Dekraai, that we saw for Darren Mack. They seem to hate women and the court system.

 

[JoeFromLB]

That's alarming...I just realized that I grew up living across the street from his [Scott Dekraai] paternal grandparents/family. I talked to my parents and they both remember Terry and Michelle visiting Bill and Wanda (Terry's parents) and his many siblings across the street. Neither could remember a kid, though. I don't remember any of this at all; I was really really young.

On the day of the shooting (I live right on the border between Long Beach and Seal Beach), it seems like the sirens and helicopters were going until the small hours of the morning. This is extremely sad and alarming.

Archived article on Terry Dekraai. Very interesting:

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-07-29/local/me-1390_1_beacon-house

 

[Leila]

Mourners are very upset at the possibility of an insanity defense:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-seal-beach-react-20111016,0,1880992.story

An insanity defense would not be justice in this case. District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, was interviewed on KFI - the John and Ken show, and was asked about the insanity defense. He said it's often used by the defense but not often successful. I would think that Dekraai's earlier assault on his stepfather that led to a restraining order and a year of anger management would indicate that he's not insane, but has an uncontrolled temper. If he was diagnosed as Bi-polar, that's a personality disorder and wouldn't fall under insanity. I'm hopeful an insanity defense won't fly.

 

[gxm]

With his history of such a short fuse and violence, I'm wondering how this guy ever got custody of his son. And I'm hoping that the fact that he was wearing a bulletproof vest will lead to the conclusion that he knew what he was doing and that he was actively protecting his own life while brutally taking the lives of so many others, hence legally sane.

 

[HMSHood]

Here comes the media spin...suspect had a 'rough' life:

http://news.yahoo.com/california-salon-shooting-suspect-had-rough-life-164735938.html

Lot of people have rough life and come out fine. Another lame excuse.

 

[UdbCrzy2]

The insanity defense will be very hard to get and he also showed premeditation by wearing the vest and having additional weapons.

Remember the guy who killed the coach and tried the insanity defense, it did not work for him and he had a history of mental illness.

Mark Becker is the guy
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20002522-504083.html

 

[JoeFromLB]

I went by the salon this afternoon. So many flowers , candles, and many, many notes of consolation, photos, etc. There was a quiet, reverent mood as people slowly walked around the place.
The blinds were all closed and there is an awareness of the horror that took place there, but at the same time, a strong outpouring of love in all the messages and memorials.

There were some candles and flowers left at the end of the parking space where David Caouette lost his life. He was parked just a few feet from the front door and never had a chance. None of them had a chance.

Just unimaginable what happened.

 

[JBean]

An insanity defense would not be justice in this case. District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, was interviewed on KFI - the John and Ken show, and was asked about the insanity defense. He said it's often used by the defense but not often successful. I would think that Dekraai's earlier assault on his stepfather that led to a restraining order and a year of anger management would indicate that he's not insane, but has an uncontrolled temper. If he was diagnosed as Bi-polar, that's a personality disorder and wouldn't fall under insanity. I'm hopeful an insanity defense won't fly.

Here is the podcast. I listened to it on my way home Friday.
It was at the top of the hour so it is the first segment.

http://www.kfiam640.com/player/?sta...odcast&program_id=JohnandKen.xml&mid=21499354

 

[Inspector Gidget]

Mental defense no way.If he was that fed up with life and angry why didn't he just end his life rather than eight innocent lives.He deserves what's coming to him.I feel for all the families involved.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Ugh. I just got caught up on this case and I can't take it. It's so heartbreaking.

I remember when I went to court and got my TPO and they give you three copies. One I was supposed to keep on me at all times, another I was told to give to my employer, and the third one was for my son's school. It was really embarrassing to have to bring those in to work and school and explain what was going on. I knew that it made my coworkers uneasy also to worry that someone could be coming into our place of employment with violent intent.

I remember sitting at my desk and trying to make a safety plan in my head, like okay, if I hear gunshots I'm going to crouch down and run the length of this counter and then head for that door, and then turn left and out that door. I feel so upset about Michelle - and for her - because I think she probably had these same thoughts and fears.

And thanks gitana for the link to the MRA/father's rights posts. Sick. Even though they want to repeal VAWA, which is bad, I think they do more of a disservice to fathers than anyone else. Don't get me wrong. As others have said, he loaded the gun, he drove there, and in my opinion, he is solely to blame. However, men like the perp here are genuinely struggling with enormous life stressors. Pumping them full of the message that their exes, her friends, family and the judge and the evaluator are all conspiring against them is like throwing a match on gasoline.

 

[JBean]

This is from my gf that was a longtime friend and neighbor of Michele Fast. Please read and pass along if you like.

http://support.smiletrain.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1030&pxfid=9810

 

[JBean]

Seal Beach police release 911 calls from salon shootings
The Seal Beach Police Department released seven 911 calls made during a shooting rampage last week at Salon Meritage that killed eight and seriously wounded a ninth.
The first of the calls came in at 1:21 p.m., and police said about 5 1/2 minutes later, the suspect, Scott Dekraai, was in custody, which interim Chief Robert Luman called a "tremendous" piece of police work.
The calls came in from various locations, including one from a woman whispering inside the facial room at Salon Meritage, where three people were hiding from the gunman.
Listen: New 911 calls released


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/seal-beach-salon-new-911-tape.html

 

[coastal]

Finally, some good news:

Lone survivor of California salon shooting leaves hospital

http://news.yahoo.com/lone-survivor-california-salon-shooting-leaves-hospital-232941522.html

>>>snip

Harriet Stretz, 73, left Long Beach Memorial Medical Center five days after the rampage at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach that left her in critical condition, hospital spokeswoman Wendy Dow said. Stretz's condition was upgraded to good on Sunday.

(article continues)

<<<snip

God bless you, Harriet Stretz.

 

[JoeFromLB]

Suspect in Seal Beach shootings: 'I know what I did'

http://www.ocregister.com/news/dekraai-325000-beach-shot.html

November 2, 2011

SANTA ANA – The Huntington Beach man charged with murdering eight people at a Seal Beach beauty salon last month told a detective shortly after his arrest that he sat on the sand at Bolsa Chica State Beach on the morning of the Oct. 12 bloodbath and pondered killing his ex-wife, according to court documents.

Scott Evan Dekraai told the detective that he then drove to the Salon Meritage at 500 E. Pacific Coast Highway armed with handguns, extra magazines and ammunition, according to a statement of probable cause in support of a request to search Dekraai's house and car.

 

[fran]

http://www.ocregister.com/news/huff-326661-chelsea-dominic.html

Boy who lost mom in Seal Beach shootings finds ‘normalcy'

8-year-old Dominic, whose father is charged with killing his mother and seven others at Salon Meritage, is living with his 24-year-old sister and 'doing very well.'

<<<<<<<<<< full article at link >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.ocregister.com/news/huff-326661-chelsea-dominic.html

 

[BrownRice]

http://www.ocregister.com/news/huff-326661-chelsea-dominic.html

Boy who lost mom in Seal Beach shootings finds ‘normalcy'

8-year-old Dominic, whose father is charged with killing his mother and seven others at Salon Meritage, is living with his 24-year-old sister and 'doing very well.'

<<<<<<<<<< full article at link >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.ocregister.com/news/huff-326661-chelsea-dominic.html

What a wonderful update. Thanks for posting.

 

[JoeFromLB]

It looks like there won't be any need for a preliminary hearing. Dekraai was indicted today by a grand jury on eight counts of murder. He will be arraigned on that indictment tomorrow afternoon in Santa Ana.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/scott-dekraai-indicted-seal-beach-shooting.html

Hopefully they will fast-track this case straight to a cell on Death Row, where he belongs.

 

[JoeFromLB]

Trial date set for October 15, but the judge acknowledges that might be optimistic.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/dekraai-337698-trial-salon.html

 

[fran]

Site of Seal Beach shootings demolished, blessed

SEAL BEACH--The minister and the spiritual counselor stepped carefully over the broken floor tiles at Salon Meritage on Wednesday.
Using a feather to spread the scent of burning sage, they sought to erase negative energies and bless what by this summer will be rebuilt as the new Salon Meritage.

full article at link ............... http://www.ocregister.com/news/salon-345715-one-price.html