Flowers in memory of nine dead

21480-ortegaflowers-thumb-300x182.jpgA small bouquet of flowers was left a few homes away from the crime scene at 1129 Knollcrest Drive where the Christmas Eve murders took place in Covina, photographed on Friday, December 26, 2008. (Photo by Raul Roa)  

Dressed as Santa, Bruce Pardo, 45, of Montrose, opened fire with four semi-automatic handguns on a party at the home of his ex-wife’s family. He then sprayed the home with a flamethrower, which burned the home to the ground.

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The rigged Santa suit

21476-santasuit-thumb-300x225.jpgThe Santa Claus suit worn by suspect Bruce Pardo is pictured on the
front seat of his 2008 Dodge Caliber SUV which was driven to the
Knollcrest Drive house and later found in Simi Valley.   The suit was
apparantly booby-trapped and after being moved ignited an incendiary
device which fully engulfed the vehicle in flames.  (Photo courtesy
Covina Police rcd Dec. 26, 2008)

 

 

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The photo at left shows Pardo’s car after the suit ignited and burned.

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The flamethrower

Pictures courtesy Covina PD Lt. Buchannan, who wrote:

21470-device_one-thumb-300x400.jpgThe photographs attached to this e-mail are of the device Suspect
Pardo brought with him to the Knollcrest house. What you see depicted in the photogrpahs is the tank from a compressor where the actual compressor mechanism has been removed. Added on to the compressor tank is another
smaller tank. We believe the smaller tank held the high octane racing
fuel and the larger of the two tanks held compressed air. We believe
Suspect Pardo added plumbing to where he could attach a hose line
with a sprayer on the end. The hose line was consumed in the fire and we have yet to find the sprayer end. In several of the photogrpahs, you can
see the Christmas wrapping paper stuck to the upper tank.

 

 

 

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Sylvia

This from Ruby Gonzales:

Sylvia Pardo, 43, had three children. They survived the massacre.

She didn’t have a criminal record. Records show she has lived in Oklahoma and Texas.

She worked as a sales and marketing assistant at John Bodger and Sons Inc. in South El Monte. It operates under the business name Bodger Seeds, Ltd.

News of the killing surprised her employer.

“I was deeply shocked,” said company president Jack Bodger. He had never met Bruce Pardo.

Bodger said Sylvia Pardo had been with them six or seven years.

“She was an excellent employee. Very kind. Always considerate of others,” Bodger said.

Sylvia Pardo married Bruce Jeffrey Pardo on Jan. 29, 2006. The couple separated Feb. 25, 2008 and Sylvia Pardo filed for divorce on March 24, 2008, according to court records.

The couple had a court hearing Dec. 18.

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“My daughter’s been shot”

Covina police have released a chilling 11 minute 911 call in the moments immediately following Bruce Pardo’s murderous rampage through the home of his former in-laws on Knollcrest in Covina.

A woman named Leticia describes her daughter’s injury as a gunshot wound to the face. She also identifies the shooter as likely being Bruce Pardo.

Leticia made the call and described the moments just after Parso barged into her parents house and began shooting. We’ll have the tape up as soon as possible.

 Here’s the 911 call

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A picture of killer Santa emerges *

*We had some technical difficulties running the Covina police press conference live. Here’s a videotape of the event:

 

At a 2 p.m. press conference Covina police Chief Kim Raney assembled a portrait of Bruce Pardo that seemed to indicate his attack was carefully planned.

Pardo and his wife Sylvia had settled a contentious divorce just last Thursday, Raney said.

Here’s some excerpts from Raney’s briefing:

At 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the family in the Knollcrest home had gathered for their annual Christmas party.

Pardo, driving a small, compact car parked at a neighbor’s home. Wearing a Santa suit, Pardo approached the home with a homemade flame thrower that utilized oxygen or CO2 and racing fuel.

Pardo gained entry to the house and was approached by an 8-year-old girl who thought she was greeting Santa.

“He shot her in the face,” Raney said.

Pardo was armed with four handguns. All were emptied in the commission of the crime.

Pardo shot indiscriminately, Raney said.

There were intended targets in the home, among them Pardo’s ex wife and in-laws.

The explosion that resulted from Pardo’s homemade device caused him to have 3rd degree burns on both arms. The Santa suit melted to his body, Raney said.

He then drove to Sylmar and took his own life.

Investigators found $17,000 in case saranwrapped to Pardo’s leg. He also had a plane ticket for a flight from LAX to Canada.

“He didn’t anticipate being injured,” Raney said.

Pardo  worked at JPL in the 80s and 90s. He was recently laid off from a job elsewhere. Following the layoff, Pardo left the area and may have traveled to the midwest or east coast.

It is unclear how long he had planned the crime spree.

There was no restraining order in the divorce case, Raney said.

Pardo had no military experience.

A resume found at his Montrose home indicated Pardo claimed to have both a BA and MA in Electrical Engineering.

Ed Winter, speaking for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said that nine bodies recovered int he home were burned and charred and “not recognizable.”

“We haven’t determined if the cause of death was due to a gunshot wound or becaseu of the fire.”

 

 

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Reports of ninth body

There are published reports via the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times that a ninth body was found at the Knollcrest home where Bruce Pardo, 45, dressed as Santa and systematically massacred guests at the home of his former inlaws on Christmas Eve.

Neither story cites a named source, although nine people who attended the party remain unaccounted for, police said.

We haven’t been able to confirm those reports through police or the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

Also Pardo worked at Northrup Grumman, not JPL, and had been fired several weeks ago.

The Times story has some interesting details about Pardo and the divorce from his wife Sylvia. Including information about a secret child that divided the couple.

 

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