The Christmas Massacre of 2008 #truecrime

In 2008, on Christmas eve, a horrific massacre ripped a family apart leaving 10 dead. The killer knocked on the front door dressed as Santa and carrying several pistols as well as a wrapped package. Within that package was a homemade flamethrower that this vicious monster used on his victims. What made the attack more gut wrenching was the fact that the perpetrator was the ex husband of one of the victims who had come for revenge on her and her family as they celebrated the holiday. None of the attendees of the party were safe as he shot anyone from his young niece to his elderly in laws. Once he was done, he torched th home with several gallons of gasoline before he made his escape.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, the Santa Claus Massacre

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was born in the San Fernando valley on March 23 1963. He graduated from John H Francis Polytechnic high school in Los Angeles then he attended California State University, Northridge to study computer science. After graduating Pardo, went to work as a software engineer at the Jet Propulsion lab in La Canada Flintridge.

Friends and colleagues remember him as a friendly and smart man. At work he came and went as he liked, often vanishing at a report of snow to go skiing. He even hacked the computers to find out his coworkers salaries. He did not seem to think that others mattered much.

In the late 80s, Pardo was engaged. His fiancé used her savings to pay for their wedding and honeymoon. Instead of going through with the ceremony, Bruce drained the last of the money from his fiancés bank account and went to Palm Springs. By 2001 he was living with a different woman with their son.

In early January, their son fell into the pool and his girlfriend came home to find him screaming and holding their child. Pardo stayed by the hospital bed for a week, but when the doctors determined that the young boy would not regain full brain function, Bruce left and neither the child or his girlfriend ever saw him again.

In 2004, he met a woman named Sylvia Orza. They were introduced by a coworker, Sylvia’s brother in law. No one could know what horrors laid in store. They only knew that Sylvia and her 3 kids could use a man and a second income stream and that she and her kids might help ground Pardo. On January 26, 2006, the 2 married.

While the marriage started off pleasantly enough, they descended into arguments over money and Pardo became withdrawn with Sylvia’s family. After a while of trying to make things work, the couple split up. In June of 2008, a judge ordered Bruce to pay child support which he never did. Meanwhile he had begun planning an act of violence that would mar the Christmas holiday for countless people.

From June to November of 2008, he bought 5 9 millimeter pistols- one per month which was the maximum allowed under the law. In September he also obtained a Santa suit to wear during the attack. On December 18 2008, the divorce was finalized, pushing Bruce Jeffrey Pardo over the edge.

On Christmas Eve, Sylvia and her extended family were having a holiday party at her parents house. Around 11:30 PM most were gathering near the front door preparing to say goodbye. Pardo knocked on the front door wearing the Santa suit with 4 of his pistols and a large package that was wrapped to look like a gift.

When the door opened, his 8 year old niece, Katrina Yusefpolsky, saw him and yelled out that Santa had come. As she ran towards him, Bruce shot her in the face. He then proceeded to fire on the more than 2 dozen people as they fled. The little girls uncles were shot next, Charles and James Ortega tried to fight off the shooter despite their injuries.

As Pardo moved through the house executing people as he went, the 8 year old girls mother, Leticia Ortega, called 911. Bruce had been recognized and she was able to tell authorities who the killer was. He was indiacrimate in his shooting, no one was safe, but he paid special attention to certain people at the party.

He killed his in laws, 70 year old Alicia Ortega and 80 year old Joseph Ortega. Both died as a result of several gunshots as was his ex wife, Sylvia. Her brothers who had tried to stop the killing, 52 year old James and 50 year old Charles also did not survive their injuries. Bruce also killed 3 of his 4 sister in laws, 45 year old Cheri Lynn, 52 year old Teresa, and 46 year old Alicia.

When the shooting was done, Pardo unwrapped the package he had brought. Inside was a air compressor that he had converted into a flamethrower. He drenched the house in gasoline then ignited it. More people were injured as they jumped out of upstairs windows.

Upstairs, the youngest person to die that night, 17 year old Michael Ortiz had been working on his computer. As the home was engulfed in flames he was trapped and burned. The inferno was so intense that it took 80 fire fighters well over an hour to put it out as the flames reached as high as 50 feet in the air.

Leaving death and destruction in his wake, the psychotics killer changed clothes and drove the 2008 Dosge Caliber he had rented to his brothers house in Sylmar California. Then Bruce Jeffrey Pardo placed one of the pistols in his mouth and blew off the top of his head. His brother got home and him found him there around 3:30AM Christmas Day.

Some speculate that Bruce had not intended on ending his own life after the attack and evidence supports this. He had $17,000 in cash strapped to his leg and in his shoe was a plane ticket to Illinois. Around the corner from his brothers house was another rental car he planned to use to escape in. But things did not go to plan. When setting the fire, Pardo had burned himself badly which may have led him to scrap his escape plan.