Crime & Safety

Massacre Survivor's Condition Upgraded to Good

Hattie Stretz, 73, lost her daughter in the shootings.

Hattie Stretz, 73, the only shooting victim to survive Wednesday's massacre at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, is improving.

Her condition was upgraded from stable to good on Sunday.

Stretz lost her daughter, Laura Lee Elody, an employee at the salon, in the shooting allegedly carried out by Scott Dekraai. Stretz is a Los Alamitos resident known for community involvement along with her husband, Tom Stretz, the former director of the Los Alamitos Youth Center.

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The couple volunteered at the youth center, where Tom had been executive director before retiring two years ago. Hattie had signed up at the youth center the morning of the shootings to assist with a haunted house for local kids.

Dekraai, a former tugboat captain, was charged Friday with eight counts of murder and faces a possible death sentence. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas held a news conference that morning and accused Dekraai of carrying out the cold-blooded execution of his ex-wife and seven others, some of them strangers.

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