Scott Dekraai, who killed eight people in a 2011 shooting spree at a California hair salon, offered a courtroom apology on Thursday as victims' relatives expressed anger over sentencing delays. Dekraai pleaded guilty in 2014 to murdering his ex-wife and seven others at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach.
'I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry,' Dekraai said, wiping his eyes after a victim's sister criticised him for referring to those killed as 'collateral damage.' Bethany Webb, sister of victim Laura Webb Elody, replied: 'You can't give me back what you took. I'm sorry, you can't apologise for this. You will never give me back what was stolen from me.'
Dekraai's lawyer is seeking to spare him the death penalty. The sentencing decision has been postponed due to allegations that jailhouse informants were improperly used to gather information from Dekraai and other suspects. Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goethals is investigating whether the Sheriff's Department withheld information about the use of informants.
Victims' families voiced frustration over the delays. Paul Wilson, whose wife Christy Lynn Wilson was killed, said his father and father-in-law are suffering from advanced cancers. 'It is awful and pathetic to know they may not live to see the coward that took Christy's life brought to justice,' he told the judge.
A county grand jury report blamed rogue jail deputies for the problems and found no evidence of a conspiracy involving key law enforcement officials. The allegations have also prompted state and federal investigations.
