A man embroiled in a child-custody dispute with his ex-wife pleaded guilty Friday to murdering her and seven others in a shooting rampage at a California hair salon.
Scott Dekraai, 44, a former tugboat operator, entered his pleas to eight counts of murder and one count of attempted murder with special circumstances and enhancements in a courtroom packed with victims' tearful relatives.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Dekraai, who had been locked in a bitter custody dispute with ex-wife Michelle Fournier over their 8-year-old son when he entered Salon Meritage in Seal Beach in October 2011 wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with three weapons. He shot Fournier before turning his guns on the salon owner, stylists, and customers. On his way out, he killed a man who was sitting in his car in the parking lot. Police arrested Dekraai within minutes. - AP