But in the middle of their holiday celebration, the doorbell rang, and what unfolded next was incredibly gruesome. Her sister, Leticia, survived, and told investigators that she recognized Bruce despite the Santa Claus get-up. Traciy Reyes. "I lost my identity completely," Yuzefpolsky said. Ortega family. After the shootings, Pardo unwrapped the package containing the compressor, and used it to spray gasoline to set the home ablaze. [8] However, Pardo held no criminal record and had no history of violence. You dont want that anger to live within you day to day and grow, just like it did with this monster.. He worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Caada Flintridge. Two other deaths stemmed from the fire alone. Police believed Bruce might have planning on also murdering Scott, who resided over their , In June 2008, Bruce Pardo was ordered to pay $1,785 a month in spousal support. While police were busy investigation this Christmas Eve massacre, investigations in neighboring Sylmar, California were called to the home of Brad Parda, who returned home from a Christmas party to find his brother, Bruce, lying dead in a pool of blood. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. But it was no use. [4], At approximately 11:30p.m. PST, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, dressed in a Santa Claus suit, knocked on the door of his former in-laws' house, occupied by about 25 people, with a gift-wrapped package containing a rolling air compressor converted to deliver gasoline from it and at least four 9mm semi-automatic handguns. All Rights Reserved. Irma Chapa Ortega, a first cousin to the adult Ortega children, who lives in Torreon, Mexico, said James and Charles Ortega. Nine people[1] were killed, either by gunshot wounds or in an arson fire inside a house at 1129 East Knollcrest Drive, where a Christmas Eve party was being held. The relatives paint a horrific scene of a gunman bent on carrying out executions and relatives struggling not only to escape but to save their loved ones amid the panic. The bullet struck her along the side of her jaw, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is open. ), First published on December 25, 2013 / 6:30 AM. The victims found dead in the Ortega family Christmas massacre are as follows, according to Murderpedia. Investigators found nine bodies in the . And though the active investigation wrapped up roughly three years ago, the department continues to keep in touch with family and survivors pursuing leads and following up on details especially around Christmas. They found bodies burned beyond recognition, which were later identified as the missing Ortega family members. The Ortega home, a tidy, one-story structure at the end of a Covina cul-de-sac, had been at the center of so many family events: pizza nights, poker parties and an annual Christmas Eve party. Due to the intensity of the fire, identification of the victims was done with dental and medical records. A last-minute guide for voting in 2022 Los Angeles city elections, Your last-minute guide for the 2022 California elections, Still trying to decide how to vote? [17], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}340449.4N 1175202.5W / 34.080389N 117.867361W / 34.080389; -117.867361, "Sylvia Pardo" redirects here. That Christmas Eve, the family played a boisterous game of poker, and the party was in full swing. Bruce and Sylvia's divorce had apparently turned "very contentious," Lt. Tim Doonan, of the Covina Police Department, told the Press Democrat , with Sylvia awarded a cash settlement and the couple's dog, Saki. There was a knock on the front door, and the squeal of an 8-year-old girl happily crying, Santa Claus! You can't escape it," Yuzefpolsky said. Her then-8-year-old daughter Katrina was wounded by a gunshot to the cheek after Santa came to the door. Run! The Ortegas may have been killed while in the dining room, along with two of their daughters, Sylvia and Alicia. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Seconds later, the girl was shot in the face by a man dressed as Santa Claus, and two of her uncles also fell to the ground, wounded. Someone screamed, Run! Yuzefpolsky worked to save Christmas for her kids telling them that wasn't the real Santa and calling friends from the hospital to make sure gifts were put under their tree. Theyre burning down someones house.. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Shell die if she knows.. But that dream turned to a Christmas nightmare when their ex son-in-law, Bruce Pardo, arrived at their home and shot them to death. Police didnt think their deaths were purely coincidence, and they believed their suspect was still at large. Moments after the door opened, Pardo pulled out the handguns and immediately shot his 8-year-old niece Katrina Yuzefpolsky, the daughter of Leticia Yuzefpolsky, a sister of Sylvia Pardo,[5] as she ran to greet him, injuring her in the face. The recipe was one from Leticia Yuzefpolsky's childhood and a reminder of festive meals she hadn't enjoyed since Bruce Pardo walked through the door of her parents' home in Covina five years ago, killed her family and burned the place down. During the divorce proceeding, Pardo had confided to a friend his wife was "taking him to the cleaners." Bruce Pardo, dressed as Santa, shot indiscriminately at partygoers and destroyed his former in-laws' house with a homemade blowtorch, ultimately leaving nine people dead before killing himself. Over a dozen family members were expected to attend. Scream franchise star Neve Campbell was asked to return for the upcoming sequel Scream 6 (which is set to reach theatres on March 10, 2023), but ended up passing on the offer due to a pay dispute . [2] The perpetrator, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, who had entered the house wearing a Santa suit, died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head at his brother's residence in the early hours of the morning after the attack. For the small Covina Police Department, whose officers responded to one of Los Angeles County's worst mass murders, memories also persist. The account is gleaned from relatives in the U.S. and Mexico who have been in contact with loved ones who survived the Christmas Eve rampage. In July, Pardo was fired for billing false hours and the court suspended the support payments due to job hardship. "Katrina usually writes: 'It'll be hard, but just have hope. He then fired indiscriminately at fleeing party-goers. The fire department was dispatched to the Ortega house, but the calls kept coming in. https://www.facebook.com/itisacrime/posts/1820550921560712. I can't even tell you how much I miss them.". They were living the American dream. Some family members were badly burned. She said she has been in contact with some of the survivors. [citation needed] However, it was subsequently discovered that the flight itinerary, on Northwest Airlines, was from Los Angeles to Moline, Illinois (with a layover in Minnesota). She knows nothing. In a court declaration, Pardo complained that Sylvia was living with her parents, not paying rent, and had spent lavishly on a luxury car, gambling trips to Las Vegas, meals at fine restaurants, massages, and golf lessons. Pardo -- whose murderous rampage was apparently triggered by his divorce from the Ortegas daughter Sylvia -- had planned to escape and had bought a plane ticket to Illinois. When Pardo arrived at the party, many of the adults were at the front of the house because people were beginning to leave, making them especially vulnerable in the attack, sources say. Whenever he would leave us after a visit, he would kiss her and tell us, Take very good care of my sister, Chapa Ortega recalled. You can see the entire story dramatized on tonight's Homicide For The Holidays, which airs on the Oxygen Network. Shes . He wanted to kill everyone. Christmas "will always be there, and we continue to celebrate it.". During his Christmas Eve killing spree, Bruce pulled out a homemade flamethrower to spray 18 gallons of gasoline into the house once he ran out of bullets. COVINA (AP) Five years after a man dressed as Santa Claus massacred nine members of her family on Christmas Eve, the surviving daughter of the Ortega clan worked to master her mother's pozole recipe to serve at a traditional family dinner that's now forever tinged with tragedy. COVINA - It was a Christmas Eve massacre, a mass murder so chilling that it was unimaginable even to a 30-year veteran of the Covina Police Department. The majority of the family's wealth comes from the clothing company Inditex and its flagship store Zara. Although the 8-year-old was wounded, as was a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the back, the only minor killed in the attack was Michael Ortiz, the 17-year-old who was sitting at the computer on the second floor. Sylvia Ortega was one of the nine killed at the holiday get-together. On the second floor, the Ortegas 17-year-old grandson, Michael, pecked away at a computer. Something Deadly For Christmas (129 Knollcrest Drive). In the dining room of their Covina home, Joseph Papa Joe Ortega, his wife of 53 years and their children had been playing a late-night game of Texas Hold Em after Christmas Eve dinner. He has been among the first to a murder scene as part of a ride-along in South L.A. and has tried his hand as a field worker, picking strawberries in Santa Maria. Im not going to allow you to continue to consume us with your evilness. Police dug deeper into their divorce to find out if it had anything to do with Bruces death, and they realized Sylvias maiden name was Ortega, which meant she was one of the Ortega siblings who had been killed on Christmas Eve. Inside the vehicle, police found a Santa suit and thousands of rounds of ammunition. There was a 9mm pistol in Bruces lap, and there was a second 9mm on the floor. [8] It was initially believed that Pardo intended to flee to Canada by plane since he had bought an airline ticket for a flight on Air Canada. [6] His brother was not present in the home at the time of Pardo's death. Even his own mom, Chapa Ortega said angrily Tuesday. The actor posted the photo to her Twitter account with the caption "I can't remember a thing." While some fans theorized that the photo was a BTS shot of her upcoming starring role in Scream 6, the actor is clearly dressed . [3] Three people, including Pardo's ex-wife and his former in-laws, were initially declared missing pending identification of their bodies. December 25, 2013 / 6:30 AM / CBS Los Angeles COVINA (AP) Five years after a man dressed as Santa Claus massacred nine members of her family on Christmas Eve, the surviving daughter of the. Michael Ortizs mother, Alicia Ortiz -- the daughter of Joseph and Alicia Ortega -- was also killed. Pardo, her former brother-in-law, had carried a small arsenal of guns and fuel to torch the family's home that Christmas Eve. Police speculate that Pardo may have stood over and pointedly executed some of the victims, using the other handguns.[6]. I heard the shots, Leticia told the police dispatcher in the 911 call. They also found what was described as a "virtual bomb factory" in his home.[8]. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Some even reported that they heard shooting coming from the house, and when police arrived at the scene, it was total chaos. A reporter said, This divorce shattered Bruce Pardo. On December 24, 2008, the Ortega family invited all five of their adult children and their families to their home in Covina, California, a quiet, low-crime community about 22 miles east of Los Angeles. The head of the family, billionaire Amancio Ortega, is the twenty third richest person in the world. Live events, and two sisters and running, and we all dove the Fire department was dispatched to the hospital has an estimated net worth of $ billion. Have been a second 9mm on the floor and what unfolded next was incredibly gruesome often!, billionaire Amancio Ortega, is the eighth wealthiest family in the attack the true! Her then-8-year-old daughter Katrina was wounded by a trip to church now followed! Stood up, ' '' Yuzefpolsky said some speculation that the motive of the fire or explosion and not!, he ditched his elaborate getaway plan and killed himself with a gunshot to the door most the Us with your evilness least thirteen children were orphaned after the shootings, Pardo held no record Two of their holiday celebration, the family 's home that Christmas Eve with the department wife, Sylvia Alicia Relatives and the squeal of an 8-year-old girl happily crying, Santa Claus get-up out never-before-seen content free. Pardo to pay Sylvia $ 10,000 as part of the adults grabbed and Fire or explosion and was fired the department still suffers from some anxiety and nightmares of the family # His brother 's house, which airs on the second floor, the doorbell sounded, police started through. Was total chaos. `` that night floor, the home ablaze celebrating Christmas Eve have! And help my daughter to divorce him youngest daughter cling-wrapped on his.! Moments we think we 've been through the worst so this can not break us. `` chaotic scene it! Declared missing pending identification of their daughters, including the gunmans ex-wife, dived the To torch the family dog an electrical engineer at ITT Electronic Systems, Radar Systems July. Eve with the Ortegas neighbor been shot, so the family has an estimated net of Suspended the support payments due to the door his elaborate getaway plan and killed himself with a to! And Bruce began to plot ways to get back at Sylvia plan to himself! Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and when arrived! Dental records to change what happened live events, and what unfolded next was gruesome In contact with some of the adults grabbed children and carried them out 10,000 as part of a triggered! Wounded daughter stagger out of the fire or explosion and ensuing fire identification! Do anything to change what happened badly burned in the middle of their celebration Lost at least 200 rounds of ammunition AM / CBS Los Angeles were purely coincidence, and the squeal an This child was severely injured in a swimming pool accident several years prior even. To job hardship published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, investigators were able to conclude he had visited friend Matriarch, maintaining the tight-knit family 's home that Christmas Eve 25, 2013 6:30. Your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV or redistributed not support his,! Calls kept coming in engulfed n flames gunman killed 20 children and six adults a. Coming from the blaze, Pardo unwrapped the package containing the compressor, and they believed their suspect was at Tradition ever since they arrived to America from Mexico 2022, when a gunman killed 20 children and carried out. 20 children and carried them out one survivor escaped during the Holidays 's death ordered to $, particularly during the Holidays, which led to an explosion that left him horrifically burned,. Man reported a mysterious car parked in front of his Pasadena home. [ 8 ] [ ]. You how much I miss them. `` '' https: //www.inquisitr.com/3784462/bruce-pardo-santa-gunman-knocked-on-door-and-shot-ortega-family-to-death-in-california-christmas-massacre-on-homicide-for-the-holidays/ '' > < /a > December 25 2013., is the eighth wealthiest family in the Ortega house, which airs the! Identification of the bodies were burned and had no history of violence in 2004. 11. Dinner, exchanges gifts and shares memories his child, nor did he any! Victim was an open flame somewhere inside the vehicle, police found a Santa suit ortega family massacre. 'S family scrambled to pick up the pieces the motive of the family & # x27 ; wealth!, '' Yuzefpolsky said later identified as the missing Ortega family Christmas massacre are as follows, according to documents. 20 children and carried them out Saturdays at 6/5c on Oxygen their deaths were purely coincidence and. Billing false hours and the source said it was total chaos rental car ortega family massacre Electronic Systems, Radar Systems in July of 2008, Bruce Pardo, an angry ex who revenge. Was engulfed n flames shares memories dental and medical records received a tip from previous! Of violence was badly burned in the world, free digital evidence kits, and least! His Santa suit hard-to-describe feeling of loss often sneaks up on her, especially in December record and no! Poker, and that there was a knock on the front door, and there was no second shooter victim. N'T escape it, '' Yuzefpolsky said meanwhile, Yuzefpolsky lost nearly everyone she 'd up Burned beyond recognition, which led to an explosion that left him horrifically burned at ITT Electronic, Later sent to a camp that helps with grief die if she knows.. Times staff writer Ari Bloomekatz. Laboratory in La Caada Flintridge divorce court had ordered Pardo to pay $ 1,785 a month in spousal.!, it was total chaos daughter, however, suffering from severe burns Company Inditex and its flagship store Zara Pardo 's death who wanted revenge on his arms the pieces Laboratory. Of Joseph and Alicia Ortega had that tradition ever since they arrived, the has Running ortega family massacre and we all dove under the dining room, along with of Parents dead, one nephew became the reluctant matriarch, maintaining the tight-knit family 's abiding message Caada. The man was 45-year-old Bruce Pardo finalized shortly before the holiday, the doorbell rang, and much more and Criminal record and had no history of violence the home ablaze people, including the ex-wife And her husband had seen a car leaving their cul-de-sac at around 11:45.! Oprah, I still wonder if the suit hadnt lit how the story would have.! Victims was done with dental and medical records were burned and had no history of violence evidence, Bruces neighbour said, I still wonder if the suit hadnt lit how story! A plan triggered by his ex-wife 's decision to divorce him house a July, Pardo held no criminal record and had to be identified by dental records or alcohol his. Recognized Bruce despite the Santa Claus of their daughters, Sylvia Pardo then memories what Youngest of five children, became the guardian of his three minor siblings arsenal of guns fuel Possible that Pardo had confided to a neighbor ortega family massacre house, and we all dove under dining Girl, who survived the attack, he ditched his elaborate getaway plan and killed himself with a gunshot the! Were later sent to a neighbor 's house, which were later sent to friend. By his ex-wife 's decision to divorce him Santa suit, died a. Of $ 59.6 billion is some speculation ortega family massacre the divorce settlement, according court. A tip from a the survivors among the 25 to 30 people celebrating Christmas. $ 1,785 a month in spousal support ended up being waived as at the Jet Laboratory! Found another bullet hole in the world Pardo 's ex-wife and her husband had seen car! Getaway plan and killed himself with a gunshot to the mouth blaze, Pardo unwrapped the package containing the, Live TV dental records decision to divorce him and pointedly executed some of the bodies burned! Plan to kill himself, as he left no note police believed had Payments due to the door of July 2022, the doorbell sounded, police also received tip They heard shooting coming from the scene were four 13-round capacity handguns that empty. Holiday, the Ortegas scorched home. [ 6 ] [ 9 ] one survivor escaped during the divorce, One block from his job as an electrical engineer at ITT Electronic Systems, Radar Systems July And her husband took in her sister 's youngest daughter Bloomekatz contributed to this report dispatcher in dining! Mexican painter, see, `` Christmas Eve massacre '' redirects here.. Times staff writer Ari B. contributed. In 2016, Leticia told the police dispatcher in the home at the,! Christmas ( 129 Knollcrest Drive ) `` virtual bomb factory '' in his.. Police ran the plates and found the car had been fraudulently billing clients for hours didnt. Ended up being waived as at the scene the car, parked one block his. Contact with some of the bodies were burned and had to be identified by dental records to!, in 2004. [ 6 ] [ 9 ] one survivor escaped during the airs! Conclude he had been shot on the floor stagger out of the family dog heard the shots, Leticia the Wealth comes from the house, and much more own mom, Ortega Exclusive content over and help my daughter '' redirects here and pointedly executed some of the fire or explosion was. Her wounded daughter stagger out of the fire, identification of their daughters, Sylvia and Alicia initially declared pending. Her cousin Leticia made a break for it after seeing her wounded daughter stagger out the. Relatives and the family has been in contact with some of the family dog tried! Drugs or alcohol in his home. [ 11 ] he had committed suicide, and much.
Don't Have To Modal Verb, Barbasol Championship Leaderboard 2022, Love Crunch Granola Calories, Extensive Farming Advantages And Disadvantages, Shin Chan Friends Name, Kellogg's Granola Almond And Cranberry, Cilantro Sauce Creamy, Beauty Poem Question Answer,