California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Wednesday he will seek the death penalty against Scott Dekraai, the gunman who pleaded guilty to killing eight people and wounding another during a rampage on Seal Beach in 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"This tragic event has caused so much harm to far too many families," Becerra said in a statement. "After weighing the evidence, considering the law and the responsibilities of my office, I have concluded that the appropriate course of action is to seek the death penalty in this case."
Dekraai's case has been stalled for six years, in part because county prosecutors illegally used a jailhouse informant against him in hopes of securing a death sentence.
"The Attorney General's Office did not inform us directly of their decision, and we are certainly very disappointed in the path they have chosen," Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders told The Orange County Register. "However, as will begin to show very soon, the misconduct that has poisoned this litigation is far more extensive than even known to the defense a few months ago. We look forward to fully adjudicating all of the issues relevant to this case."
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