The Covina Massacre: A Christmas party interrupted by a killer Santa
Don't Open The DoorChristmas is a time of joy, a time of giving and a time to celebrate with those we love. That’s why there is always a harrowing nature to crimes that are committed at the most festive time of year.
One particularly disturbing crime that happened at Christmas time was the Covina Massacre. This tragic event ended in the deaths of nine people, as well as a suicide. But what exactly caused the Covina Massacre and why did the perpetrator choose to turn the holiday season into a hellish nightmare? Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive deeper into the Covina Massacre.
What was the Covina Massacre
It was late at night on Christmas Eve in 2008 when the Covina Massacre took place. At 11:30pm, just half an hour before Christmas Day, a man entered a home in Covina, California, where a Christmas Eve party was taking place.
The man was dressed as Santa Claus. He was wielding several of the same weapon, 9mm SIG Sauer handguns. He also had hidden a rolling air compressor that had been converted to spray racing fuel within a large gift-wrapped package.
An eight-year-old girl answered the door to the man, and he instantly shot and wounded her. The partygoers panicked, and the man began to fire at them. He then opened the package, used it to spray fuel around the house and ignited it with a flare, causing an explosion and a fire to break out.
In the midst of the chaos, nine people were killed and three more were injured. One of the partygoers who survived the massacre escaped to a neighbour’s house, where they identified the man as Bruce Jeffrey Pardo. A few hours later, Pardo was found dead from suicide via a gunshot wound to the head.
Who was Bruce Pardo?
Bruce Pardo was a California native who seemed to live a normal life. In 2006, he married Sylvia Ortega, but their marriage quickly spiralled. This seemed to stem from Pardo’s financial choices, as he refused to share his money with Sylvia and would not open a joint bank account.
By June 2008, divorce proceedings were in place and Pardo was forced to pay just over $1,700 in spousal support. Sylvia also got various other assets from him, and she was allowed to keep the family dog. Pardo was laid off from his job around the same time and found himself in debt, which likely increased his emotional turmoil. He decided to target his own family, and the police speculated that his resentment following the divorce led to this decision.
Despite his suicide, it became clear that this was not Pardo’s original plan. He had an escape set up. As well as renting several vehicles, he had maps of Mexico and the Southwest, supplies, a plane ticket and cash. He was gravely injured during the fire, receiving third-degree burns. He decided to end his own life instead of trying to escape, likely due to these injuries.
Who were the victims of Bruce Pardo
It was the annual Ortega family Christmas Eve party in 2008, and Pardo’s ex-wife Sylvia and her family were enjoying the Christmas season. The divorce proceedings had been finalised just a week before the party. All of the victims were members of the Ortega family and in-laws of Pardo. Here are the family members who Pardo callously murdered:
- Sylvia Ortega Pardo: age 43. Pardo’s ex-wife.
- Joseph S. Ortega: age 79. Pardo’s father-in-law.
- Alicia Sotomayor Ortega: age 70. Pardo’s mother-in-law.
- Cheri Lynn Ortega: age 45. Pardo’s sister in law
- Alicia Ortega Ortiz: age 46. Pardo’s sister in law
- Teresa Ortega: age 52. Pardo’s sister in law
- Charles Ortega: age 50. Pardo’s brother-in-law
- James Ortega: age 52. Pardo’s brother-in-law
- Michael Andre Ortiz:age 17. Pardio’s nephew.
Only a few people survived the massacre. This miraculously included Pardo’s eight-year-old niece Katrina Yuzefpolsky, who he shot in the cheek. Katrina’s mother, Leticia Yuzefpolsky, also survived. Leticia lost two sisters, two brothers, two sisters in law, her parents and her nephew in the tragedy.
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