HOLIDAY SPECIAL: The Santa Claus Massacre 2
Murder: True Crime Stories
Crime House
4.6 • 766 Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
On Christmas Eve 2008, the Ortega family gathered at their home in Covina, California, for their annual holiday celebration. Laughter, food, and music filled the night—until a man dressed as Santa Claus knocked on their door. In Part 2 of The Santa Claus Massacre, Carter Roy reveals the shocking and tragic events that unfolded that night, when 45-year-old Bruce Pardo—Sylvia Ortega’s embittered ex-husband—turned holiday cheer into unimaginable horror. What began as a festive family gathering ended in one of California’s deadliest crimes. This episode traces Bruce’s meticulously planned attack, the inferno that followed, and the chilling aftermath that left investigators searching for answers—and a surviving family struggling to rebuild their lives. But out of the ashes, hope emerged: a story of survival, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Crime House. |
| 0:07.0 | Happy holidays to all you Crime House listeners. |
| 0:14.0 | I'm Carter Roy, host of murder, true crime stories, and this is the second episode of Crime House's Christmas |
| 0:22.7 | crime special, the Santa Claus Massacre. |
| 0:28.9 | It doesn't get more iconic than Santa Claus, the red and white suit, the fluffy white beard, the sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. |
| 0:41.2 | St. Nick is a Christmas staple, a symbol of magic and holiday cheer. |
| 0:47.3 | But on Christmas Eve 2008, one man took that image and corrupted it. |
| 0:55.0 | Forty-five-year-old Bruce Pardo donned a Santa suit and fastened his beard. |
| 1:01.0 | He drove to Covina, California, where his ex-wife's family had all gathered for a holiday party. |
| 1:10.0 | But Bruce wasn't there to celebrate Christmas. |
| 1:14.6 | He was there to destroy it. |
| 1:22.6 | Last time, we met 43-year-old Sylvia Ortega and her family. We discussed her tumultuous and |
| 1:34.0 | tragic love life and how she learned the truth about her husband, Bruce Pardo. When their divorce |
| 1:40.2 | was finalized in December 2008, Sylvia was ready to move on, but he wasn't. |
| 1:47.0 | Today we'll walk through the fateful night that changed the city of Covina, California, |
| 1:53.0 | forever. That Christmas Eve, the holiday was shattered as 911 calls came pouring in, a shooting, an explosion, and a raging house fire |
| 2:04.8 | we're tearing one family apart. |
| 2:08.2 | And it was all the work of a man dressed as Santa Claus. |
| 2:13.1 | All that and more coming up. |
| 2:24.8 | This episode is brought to you by Shopify. |
| 2:28.8 | With Shopify, 2025, 26 is the year you make it happen. |
| 2:33.0 | It gives you the tools to build your dream store, online and in person. |
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