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Santa gunman was in bitter divorce, lost job
http://www.startribune.com ^ | December 26, 2008 | By CHRISTINA HOAG

Posted on 12/27/2008 9:37:19 AM PST by Maelstorm

COVINA, Calif. - A man who carried out a Christmas Eve massacre and arson dressed as Santa at the home of his former in-laws apparently intended to flee the U.S., but his plans were dashed after the inferno he created severely burned his arms and melted his red costume onto his body, police said Friday.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, a laid-off aerospace worker, apparently shot some of his nine victims execution-style in a plot to destroy his ex-wife's family after a costly divorce that was finalized last week. He had an airline ticket for a Christmas morning flight to Canada and $17,000 in cash on his body, some attached to his legs with plastic wrap and some in a girdle, Covina police Chief Kim Raney said. He did not know the Canadian destination.

Armed with four guns, wearing the Santa suit and carrying a fuel-spraying device wrapped like a present, Pardo showed up at the home at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday as a party of about 25 people was under way.

Raney said Pardo, 45, fired a shot into the face of an 8-year-old girl who answered the door and at first fired indiscriminately, then apparently targeted relatives of his ex-wife as other guests fled.

"There's some information that he stood over them and shot them execution-style," Raney said.

Pardo retreated to the front door and retrieved a device that mixed carbon dioxide or oxygen with high-octane racing fuel, police said. Fleeing guests saw him spraying the fuel inside the house when the vapor was ignited, possibly by a pilot light or a candle, and exploded.

"Mr. Pardo was severely injured during that explosion," Raney said. "He suffered third-degree burns on both arms and it also appears that the Santa Claus suit that he was wearing did melt onto his body."

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: badsanta; evil; horror; pardo; santa
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To: Maelstorm

That he shot an 8 year old who thought she was answering the door for Santa tells me all I need to know about this animal.


21 posted on 12/27/2008 9:52:54 AM PST by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: Maelstorm

lost job, no money.....

What a dumb a$$! If only he could have held on till Jan. 20 when the Redistribution Plan would’ve kicked in!


22 posted on 12/27/2008 9:52:59 AM PST by TRY ONE (NUKE the unborn gay whales!)
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To: xmission

Oh how clever you are. Made me laugh out loud today. :)


23 posted on 12/27/2008 9:53:20 AM PST by wombtotomb (since its "above his paygrade", why can't we err on the side of caution about when life begins?)
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To: seowulf

No, you don’t understand — carbon dioxide causes global warming, er.. climate change. Not only was the guy a murderer, he was environmentally irresponsible which makes him even worse.


24 posted on 12/27/2008 9:54:58 AM PST by 353FMG (The sky is not falling, yet.)
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To: wombtotomb

This is a really bad nightmare version of ‘trading Places” the movie. I fear it will be rerun hundreds of times this year as the God of money will fail as all false gods do.


25 posted on 12/27/2008 9:56:01 AM PST by wombtotomb (since its "above his paygrade", why can't we err on the side of caution about when life begins?)
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To: samtheman

That was one sick bastard. No matter how humiliating the divorce, he had no excuse to do anything like that.


26 posted on 12/27/2008 9:56:15 AM PST by AZLiberty (I hope Obama changes.)
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To: Maelstorm
You lose your job, and wife?

Yep. You don't see me flipping out do you?

A little adversity is no excuse for behaving badly.

27 posted on 12/27/2008 9:58:53 AM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: seowulf
No, I think the carbon dioxide reference is there because it is, in the journalist's playbook, a "dangerous greenhouse gas". It was referenced for pure shock value. Then there was this little gem:

...five empty boxes for high-powered semiautomatic handguns and two high-powered shotguns.

So what exactly is a "high-powered" shotgun? I seriously doubt that Christina Hoag knows herself. Again, right out of the journalist's playbook.

28 posted on 12/27/2008 10:01:37 AM PST by randog (Hope is a bad business plan.)
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To: wombtotomb
I fear it will be rerun hundreds of times this year as the God of money will fail as all false gods do.

"Head Like A Hole"

God money i'll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to.
God money nail me up against the wall.
God money don't want everything he wants it all.

no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me
no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me

head like a hole.
black as your soul.
i'd rather die than give you control.
head like a hole.
black as your soul.
i'd rather die than give you control.

bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.
bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.

God money's not looking for the cure.
God money's not concerned with the sick amongst the pure.
God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised.
God money's not one to choose

no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me
no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me

bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.
bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.

bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.
bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.

no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me
no you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me

bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.
bow down before the one you serve.
you're going to get what you deserve.

you know who you are.

29 posted on 12/27/2008 10:02:56 AM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: Maelstorm
This story just gets more and more tragic. You couldn't write a movie script more violent and bizarre.
30 posted on 12/27/2008 10:03:37 AM PST by LiberConservative ("We gonna get PAID!" - Obama voter)
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To: LiberConservative

Wanna bet?


31 posted on 12/27/2008 10:05:18 AM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
Guy loses his job. His confidence crumbles - and he is no longer the man his wife married. She divorces him, and he goes insane.

A woman so morally bankrupt that she'll leave a man when he's down was probably chosen for her looks. Again, the man needs to grow up - even if it means ( in the case you describe) that "growing up" means he realizes he's lucky the bimbo left and that he now has a chance to find a good woman.

In any case - throwing a killing tantrum isn't the answer.

32 posted on 12/27/2008 10:05:50 AM PST by GOPJ (GM's market value is a third of Bed, Bath and Beyond. Why is GM "too big to fail"? Steyn)
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To: null and void
Speaking of which, have you ever seen anyone dress up for Halloween as Santa?


33 posted on 12/27/2008 10:06:18 AM PST by MyTwoCopperCoins
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To: AZLiberty

And if you read the whole piece it sounds like he was given a reprieve, at least temporarily, on some of the worst of the settlement, like the spousal support, which, with no children involved, might have been an injustice in the first place.

But still, injustice or not, to go from that to acting like a damn Palestinian...

What a dirt-bag. A late dirt-bag.


34 posted on 12/27/2008 10:07:40 AM PST by samtheman
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To: GOPJ

Understatement of the year.


35 posted on 12/27/2008 10:08:04 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network ("Free Trade" = Fire Americans. Buy another company then fire more Americans.)
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To: Maelstorm

“That he was an usher in church should simply highlight that no one is safe from the influence of evil.”

Dennis Rader comes to mind.


36 posted on 12/27/2008 10:08:16 AM PST by Scotswife
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To: MyTwoCopperCoins

Hmmmm. Aqualung as St. Nick...


37 posted on 12/27/2008 10:08:22 AM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
The article doesn’t actually say he was fired.

Lots of tech workers these days are losing their jobs, not for what they do, but because jobs are being sent elsewhere.

It’s a shame to think - “free trade” just might have contributed to this awful situation.

Guy loses his job. His confidence crumbles - and he is no longer the man his wife married. She divorces him, and he goes insane.

First step in that descent into the abyss: outsourcing.

He was clearly an evil, criminally insane violent nutball, but if he hadn’t lost his job all the rest may not have happened.



LOL, do you run a union?

Quit making excuses for this bastard of a specimen, please.

38 posted on 12/27/2008 10:10:19 AM PST by MyTwoCopperCoins
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To: LiberConservative; MyTwoCopperCoins
Hmmmm, again. Old Nick as St. Nick.

That give me an idea for a a movie script...

39 posted on 12/27/2008 10:10:48 AM PST by null and void (Petroglyphs. The original cliffs notes...)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

“Guy loses his job. His confidence crumbles - and he is no longer the man his wife married. She divorces him, and he goes insane.”

Not exactly.

His wife discovered he had a brain-damaged son who he abandoned but still was using the boy for tax purposes.

She was understandably disturbed at his secrecy and disgusting behavior.

This may come as a suprise to many bitter freeper men - but sometimes it ain’t the woman’s fault.


40 posted on 12/27/2008 10:11:13 AM PST by Scotswife
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