Defense Attorneys in Seal Beach Massacre Case Ask To Be Dismissed

Attorneys for Scott Dekraai, the 42-year-old man charged with mass murdering eight people in Seal Beach on October 12, will ask a judge this afternoon to dismiss them from the death penalty case.

The reasoning behind the request is unclear, though Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons, a prosecutor in the case, feels that Jarvis & Krieger - the firm representing Dekraai - may lack substantial resources. "It's a death penalty case. Those take a lot of money to defend," Simmons said, reports myFOXla. Such cases require a great deal of investigation and lead to what amounts to two trials, Simmons added. If Dekraai is found guilty, jurors must hear additional testimony to determine their punishment recommendation.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced on October 14 that he is seeking the death penalty for Dekraai. "There are some cases that are so depraved and so callous and so malignant that there's only one punishment that might have any chance of fitting the crime," Rackauckas said at a news conference announcing charges against Dekraai. Rackauckas expects to be up against an insanity defense.

The shooting at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, which has been referred to as a "massacre," killed eight people, including Dekraai's ex-wife. One victim, the mother of one of the female victims, survived.

Dekraai remains jailed without bail.