Ninthe body found at the site of Christmas Eve Massacre.

[panamania79 2]

Slideshow: Man dressed as Santa goes on killing spree Play Video Video: New Details Emerge In Covina Massacre CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Los Angeles Play Video Video: 'Santa' gunman in fatal US attack BBC COVINA, Calif. – A ninth body was found Friday morning at the charred site of a Christmas Eve massacre where a recently divorced man dressed as Santa shot indiscriminately at partygoers and destroyed his former in-laws' house with a homemade device that sprayed flammable liquid.

The attacker, Bruce Pardo, reached a Dec. 18 settlement with his ex-wife, who along with her parents was believed to be among the dead. His lawyer and a fellow church usher were among those who said they had never seen anything to indicate he was capable of such a brutal crime.

Pardo's attorney, Stanley Silver, said his client seemed cheerful when he left a message two days before the shooting and was trying to pay $10,000 to finalize the divorce proceedings.

"All of my dealings with him were always pleasant and cheerful," Silver said. "I'd never encountered him when he was ... angry or unpleasant at all."

Pardo left the scene of the killings and was found dead Thursday, of a single bullet to the head, at his brother's house.

The body of his ninth victim was found Friday morning when investigators resumed searching what was left of the two-story home on a cul-de-sac in Covina, 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

Eight bodies were recovered Thursday from the destroyed house; it was not yet known where the gunfire or the flames killed them. None of the dead or missing has been identified.

The bloodbath began about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when an 8-year-old girl attending a Christmas Eve party answered a knock at the door. A man dressed as Santa and carrying what appeared to a present pulled out a handgun and shot her in the face, then began shooting indiscriminately as partygoers tried to flee.

The gift-wrapped box Pardo was carrying actually contained a pressurized homemade device he used to spray a liquid that quickly sent the house up in flames. Court documents showed Pardo had been employed at the radar division of ITT Electronic Systems, a military defense supplier, until July.

Pardo, 45, had no criminal record and no history of violence, according to police, but he was angry following last week's settlement of his divorce after a short marriage.

"No counseling or delay could help restore this marriage," the settlement stated. "There are irreconcilable differences, which have led to the complete breakdown of the marriage."

A court summary of the divorce case showed that Sylvia Pardo filed for a dissolution of marriage on March 24, 2008. The summary indicated she and Bruce Pardo reached a settlement on Dec. 18 and were separated after about two years of marriage.

Court documents show Sylvia Pardo got the couple's dog, the wedding ring and $10,000 in the settlement agreement, while he got the house. In June, the court ordered Bruce Pardo to pay $1,785 a month in spousal support and put him on a payment plan of $450 a month for $3,570 that was unpaid.

Pardo's attorney said the man had trouble making the payments after he lost his job in July, but spousal support was waived in the settlement signed earlier this month.

Pardo wrote in a legal declaration that he had been denied a severance package from his previous employer and state unemployment payments in August. He said he was "desperately seeking" work.

He also complained in a court declaration that his estranged wife 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.

Investigators seeking further information about Pardo's motives have begun searching his home in the suburban Los Angeles community of Montrose.

Christmas lights decorated the roof of Pardo's home and plastic nutcracker soldiers and striped candy canes were attached to a fence that edged a neatly trimmed lawn. A black Cadillac Escalade and a white Hummer were parked in the driveway.

Neighbors frequently saw Pardo working on his lawn and walking his dog, a big, brown Akita. Pardo served regularly as an usher at evening Mass at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montrose, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Jan Detanna, the head usher at the church, was stunned when told about the violence.

"I'm just — this is shocking," Detanna told the Times. "He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile."

Two people wounded in the attack are expected to recover: the 8-year-old who was shot and a 16-year-old girl shot in the back. A 20-year-old woman broke her ankle when jumping from a second-story window and was recovering.

David Salgado, a neighbor, said he saw the 8-year-old victim being escorted to an ambulance by four SWAT team members as flames up to 40 feet high consumed the house.

"It was really ugly," Salgado said.

Another neighbor, Jan Gregory, said she saw a teenage boy flee the home, screaming, "`They shot my family.'"

When the fire was extinguished early Thursday, officers found three charred bodies in the living room area.

"They were met with a scene that was just indescribable," police Chief Kim Raney said. Investigators found five more bodies amid the ashes later in the day. Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said the ninth body was found Friday morning.

Following the shootings, Pardo quickly got out of the Santa suit and drove off, witnesses told police. He went to his brother's home about 25 miles away in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. No one was home, so Pardo let himself in, police said.

Police were called to the home early Thursday, and officers found Pardo dead. Two handguns were found at the scene, and two more were discovered in the wreckage of his former in-laws' house.

A car that Pardo apparently parked near his brother's home exploded Thursday evening and more ammunition was found in it, Los Angeles police Sgt. Francisco Wheeling said. She had no immediate details on what set off the explosion. No one was hurt.

___

Associated Press writers Daisy Nguyen, Anthony McCartney, Solvej Schou, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Robert Jablon and Gillian Flaccus contributed to this report.

Read Full ArticleRelated Searches:pardo dissolution of marriage Recommend Buzz Up Send Email IM Share Digg Facebook Newsvine del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print

[MrsCat 6]

Pardo's attorney, Stanley Silver, said his client seemed cheerful when he left a message two days before the shooting and was trying to pay $10,000 to finalize the divorce proceedings.

"All of my dealings with him were always pleasant and cheerful," Silver said. "I'd never encountered him when he was ... angry or unpleasant at all."

Pardo left the scene of the killings and was found dead Thursday, of a single bullet to the head, at his brother's house.

The body of his ninth victim was found Friday morning when investigators resumed searching what was left of the two-story home on a cul-de-sac in Covina, 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

Eight bodies were recovered Thursday from the destroyed house; it was not yet known where the gunfire or the flames killed them. None of the dead or missing has been identified.

Maybe that's a sign that something isn't quite right. Is anyone always happy and pleasant during a divorce proceeding where you're parting with your $$$ and your old life.

Edited December 26, 2008 by MrsCat

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Secret child had divided Covina gunman and his wife

The gunman dressed in a Santa Claus suit who opened fire at a Christmas Eve party in Covina, killing nine holiday revelers, had kept secret from his wife a child that he had fathered years ago, sources close to the family said today.

Investigators said Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, had been divorced earlier this year, and they believe the divorce was one of the main factors that drove him to go to the home of his former in-laws on Christmas Eve with the gun and explosives.

But one incident that led to that divorce was a long-held detail of his past that Pardo hid from his wife.

About nine years ago, he and a girlfriend had a child. As a 1-year-old, the boy fell into a pool, nearly drowning. As a result, the child was left physically handicapped. Although Pardo did not support his son financially, he claimed the boy as a dependent for seven years on his tax returns.

When Pardo's wife found out about it from a family member, she demanded he stop claiming his son as a dependent. The situation helped lead to the divorce, sources close to the family said.

Pardo and his ex-wife, Sylvia, met in 2004 through a colleague of Pardo's. Sources today said the 17-year-old son of that colleague died in the Christmas Eve shooting.

Pardo wooed Sylvia, and the two married in January 2006. Around that time, they moved into a home in Montrose to start their new life together with Sylvia's three children from a previous marriage and an Akita.

Their union lasted only two years. Sylvia moved out in January and the two were divorced the next month after she cited irreconcilable differences. According to court records, the couple reached a "full settlement" on their divorce at a Dec. 18 hearing. Transcripts stated that "no counseling or delay can help restore this marriage."

As part of the settlement, the couple waived spousal support. Earlier in the year, Sylvia had asked the court for spousal support, telling the court her $2,000-a-month salary was not enough for her 6-year-old daughter and herself to find an apartment of their own.

According to court records, Sylvia had asked Pardo to let her and her daughter stay in his Montrose home until the girl finished kindergarten.

"He said I could 'commute,' " the woman told the court, according to transcripts. "When I returned after a weekend at my parents' home, he had moved my belongings out to the driveway."

Sylvia and her daughter moved into a spare room at her sister and brother-in-law's home. At the time she asked the court to order Pardo to pay support while she either found a new job or got more hours at her current job to support herself and her daughter.

Sylvia reportedly worked at John Bodger and Son Co. in South El Monte as an administrative assistant. In the court records she states that she made $19 an hour, working 33 hours a week. She also states that she borrowed money from her sister and brother-in-law to pay for attorney's fees.

Other details about Pardo also emerged today. He was fired in July from his job as a software engineer at ITT, a defense contractor in Van Nuys. A spokesman said Pardo worked in the air and surface surveillance radar division for three years, but declined to say whether he left of his own accord or was fired.

Another source said he had once worked at Northrop Grumman Corp. and that he had claimed on his company profile that he had a master's degree from USC. But the source said that although he had been enrolled there, he never received the degree.

Investigators said the shooting likely had been planned over a period of several months.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sa...story?track=rss

[Marilyn. 340]

early Christmas morning hubby and I heard police cars and then we heard fire trucks and helicopters.. we thought it was a high speed chase at first but it stayed in the same area so we thought it was a car accident or something.. the next morning we read about this online

[Amby 490]

I think I read 13 dead now and the guy was geared up to leave the country

Edited December 27, 2008 by Amby

[Nagishkaw 510]

Just sickning!

[panamania79 2]

I think I read 13 dead now and the guy was geared up to leave the country

He wanted to go hide in Canada.