Dekraai's Former In-laws Sue Him

The former in-laws of the man accused of killing their daughter and seven other people in a Seal Beach beauty salon shooting rampage filed suit today against the alleged gunman.

Michelle Marie Fournier's parents, Joseph and Geraldine Burke, are seeking unspecified damages in Orange County Superior Court from Scott Evans Dekraai, stemming from the Oct. 12 killing spree at Salon Meritage, 500 Pacific Coast Highway. Dekraai, 42, was charged last month and has only appeared in criminal court twice so far, but the Burkes' attorney, Eric V. Traut, told City News Service that he moved quickly to file the lawsuit to freeze the defendant's assets.

“I don't want his family transferring assets, because he does have some assets such as disability payments and he owns property,'' Traut said, adding that the value of his assets is in the ``hundreds of thousands.''

Dekraai owns some land in Seal Beach from probate settlement and also a home in a rental or condo complex, Traut said.

``I filed it to freeze some assets and to look to the future of Dominic,'' Traut said, referring to the 8-year-old son of Dekraai and Fournier. Traut also helped the family get a lawyer to assist in the transferring of Dominic's guardianship to Fournier's 26-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. She lives in Los Alamitos, so the family wants her to raise Dominic, Traut said.   `

`The grandparents live near Niagara falls in a very cold part of New York,'' Traut said. Dekraai had been seeking sole custody of Dominic, but the day before the shooting, a court-ordered report recommended against it. Traut included some details of the alleged murders in his lawsuit to make the case that the shootings were premeditated.

According to a search warrant affidavit filed by Seal Beach police, Dekraai allegedly told investigators that after an argument over the phone with Fournier the day of the shootings, he armed himself with three handguns, extra magazines and ammunition before donning a bullet-proof vest and driving to Bolsa Chica State Beach.

``When Dekraai got to the beach, he got out of the vehicle, sat on the beach and pondered shooting his wife,'' the affidavit said.    

Dekraai drove to the salon at about 1:20 p.m.

``Dekraai immediately walked up to Fournier and shot her multiple times,'' according to the affidavit. ``I talked to (one of the prosecutors on the case) this morning and premeditation is there -- they have all the facts to prove it,'' Traut said.  

The Orange County Public Defender's Office has been appointed to represent Dekraai because his original attorney, Robert Curtis, said Dekraai could not afford to pay him.

Other victims in the shooting included Christy Lynn Wilson, 47, who was shot because she testified against Dekraai in his child-custody battle with Fournier, the affidavit said. Randy Lee Fannin, 62, the owner of the salon was the third person shot as he ran up to Dekraai with scissors, according to the affidavit. David Caouette, 64, was shot outside the salon in his Range Rover because Dekraai mistakenly thought he was an off-duty police officer reaching for a weapon, the affidavit said. The other victims were Victoria Ann Buzzo, 54; Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65; Laura Lee Elody, 46; and Michele Daschbach Fast, 47.   Another woman who was shot -- 73-year-old Hattie Stretz -- survived.

City News Service