Santa slaying case added to a grim list of California mass murder

The death toll is now up to eight in the case of the man in the Santa Claus outfit who burst into a Covina home. Here are some other mass murders in California over the decades:

JUAN CORONA. The onetime farm labor contractor was found guilty twice and sentenced to life in prison without parole in the early 1970s for hacking to death 25 transients and itinerant farmworkers near Yuba City.

MARCUS WESSON. Was found guilty in 2005 of killing nine of his children in Fresno.

VINCENT BROTHERS: Bakersfield educator convicted in 2007 of killing his wife, three children and mother-in-law.

WILLIAM BONIN. The "Freeway Killer," an unemployed Downey truck driver, was charged with murdering and raping 16 boys and young men and dumping their bodies. He confessed to 21, was convicted of 14 and was executed in 1996.

PATRICK WAYNE KEARNEY. The "trash bag killer" pleaded guilty of cutting up 21 young male victims in 1977 and 1978 and leaving their body parts in trash bags along Southland freeways. He has confessed to at least 32 slayings around the state.

RANDY KRAFT. The computer programmer was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989 for strangling 16 hitchhikers, mostly from Orange County, after drugging and sexually assaulting them.

JUAN MANUEL ALVAREZ: The man who caused the Metrolink train crash in 2005 by parking his truck on the tracks was found guilty in the murders of 11 people.

RICHARD RAMIREZ. The "Night Stalker" was convicted of 13 torture-murders in the L.A. area in 1984 and 1985.

VAUGHN GREENWOOD. He was convicted of slashing the throats of nine transients as they slept in alleys and other areas downtown and in Hollywood in 1974 and 1975.

LEONARD LAKE AND CHARLES NG. They were accused of killing 11 people in a kidnapping and sex-slavery spree in Northern California in 1984 and 1985.

--Shelby Grad

Comments

[ALEX]

When will newspapers list weekly and monthly those women (& children)
murdered at the hands of husbands/lovers; ex-husbands/ex-lovers,
by firearms?
Wake-Up, eh? These are the "mass murders" which are executed
over and over again, 24/7--more frequently now, than ever before....

[intrepiddoc]

It's never surprising to me that religions that allow their believers to think they can tell when 'Jesus has forgiven them', or else can announce with a leering smile, "Jesus has forgiven me", can count mass murders among the side effects. White, male, christians always seem to be the crazy mass murderers in the news. It's always been creepy that the most dangerous time to be on the road is on Christian Holidays, and oh yeah, on the road during the Crusades. (This isn't a new phenomenon)

[peter heron]

I recently broke up with a woman I loved after about a year. I felt betrayed and full of terrible anger. It resides in many of us. I took advantage of family, hotlines, and my psychologist, being honest about my rage and hurt.

The problem is many people won't verbalize an inner rage. People said this was the nicest guy imaginable. Yet sociey will brand someone who desires to talk out ugly inner feeling, often labelling them as 'crazy' and 'dangerous.'

So people keep it in; they burn with revenge and hatred. They can't see the whole picture, that many innocents will suffer. Instead they nurse their hatred and fantasize how people will regret hurting him.

It's too bad because no one thinks about the killer as soon as the headlines go away and another killer takes his or her place. In the meantime he's left trails of tears that will last for decades.

But back to allowing people to vent without labelling them crazy and dangerous. I mean it, it iakes courage to go to a counselor, or to open up to friends and family. The problem is that they risk those labels from ignorant people. People who have no sensitivity.

We shut people down and they fester. When they act out, we call them animals and scum. I understand the anger and lack of pity. But until we can let people, and I really mean men, open up truly about their inner feelings in domestic relationships, without fear of labels, we will have these atrocities again and again. It is not right, it is downright evil, and wrong, and, yes, inexcusable, but society is not letting men vent in these domestic cases. They immediatey side with women. This has proven over and over to be a recipe for disaster.

As for me, I love my exgirlfriend, but I had to let her go. I went through my anger and hurt, and, yes, desire to hurt back. But I had help. And I also got tagged crazy and dangerous by onesided friends. But what was my alternaive? To prove them right? It takes integrity to not hurt others because you have been hurt. No court can protect anyone. Only that person can control himself. It's a shame we don't let men really open up and talk. It's quite natural to talk like a caveman when angry. Regretably, this talk is used against him, leaving hm more frustrated, bitter, and vengeful.

Society had better learn that men have emotions that need listening to without judgement. Or else we will continue to have these terrible tragedies and evils committed among us.

[gamdopa]

you forgot James Huberty and San Ysidro...

[moi]

I always thought that a "mass murderer" kills at least several people in a short space of time, such as the Columbine tragedy or the San Ysidro tragedy or the Bath, Michigan school tragedy (almost a century ago), and that a "serial killer" kills one by one over a greater length of time (such as Ted Bundy or Richard Ramirez).
This L.A. Times list seems to be a list of serial killers.
I know that it's morbid of me to nitpick this...

[D1]

Good for you that you speak up and reveal the pain you felt so you can deal with it like a mature human being. Interesting that you have a name with religious connotation. May you find more people like yourself and have a better and loving life for having conquered your personal demons.

[Christian]

Another for the list -- Ramon Salcido. Killed his wife and 3 cute kids after an argument about 18 years ago. And how about that Rosemead fire a few years ago, also around the holidays, that had multiple victims.

[Christian]

Another for the list -- Ramon Salcido. Killed his wife and 3 cute kids after an argument about 18 years ago. And how about that Rosemead fire a few years ago, also around the holidays, that had multiple victims.

[disgusted]

more male violence. what a surprise. what is wrong with our culture and our gender? so weak that we have to destroy women and children.

worse than pathetic. yet the laws protect the violent, not those who need to be protected from these scumbags.

evil and disgusting.

[Chris]

intrepiddoc, you're a biggot. the things you wrote are hateful and not based in fact. look at the names in the list of mass murderers in this article. it's a diverse list which statistically mirrors the American population. however, you only see what you need, in order to pigeon hole these sick people into one group that you pathologically hate. you are a deeply sick and irrational person. for your own good, please seek help. you obviously need it.

[Al]

What about Robert Sanchez? [The Metrolink engineer who caused 25 people to die on 9/12/08 ]

[Loretta T. Leighty]

Peter Heron, you are absolutely right.

It's a sad commentary when men are not able to express their emotions and rage in a safe environment, with the help of a good psychotherapist. It's really unfortunate that our society views in a negative light anyone seeking therapy for any reason. These people need to supported for being willing and courageous enough to deal with their issues and work through them.

Clearly this man, Pardo, was a deeply troubled individual. Because of his irresponsibility his son faces a lifetime of being brain-damaged and unable to walk and take care of himself. He left his first wife to deal with this all on her own, and then to boot, he uses his son as a tax write-off. Pardo just didn't want to or couldn't deal with the consequences of his actions.

He chose to walk away from the consequences, out of sight out of mind, and he didn't have to deal with his emotions and feelings of tremendous guilt and self-hatred. I'm sure he loved his second wife, but when she discovered his dishonesty and lack of ethics, she had to question his values and their entire relationship. We don't know what else happened to ultimately end the marriage, but I'm sure that through it all he was forced to face his past, his feelings of helplessness, guilt, self-rage, and rage against the ex-wife for bringing this to light.

In general, men tend to turn their rage out into the world, women tend to turn their rage in unto themselves. We all need help sometimes in dealing with our emotions and rage. There should be no shame in getting the professional help we need, to process our anger to a more positive channel.

I am so sorry for all the people Pardo killed, I am so sorry for the little 8-year old girl who innocently opened the door; this is a double trauma for her. I am also sorry for Pardo, as well, that he saw no other option before him, and for the consequences he'll be facing as he stands before our Creator.

My condolences to all those who lost their loved ones and who are recovering from this horrendous act of violence. My condolences to Pardo's mother and brother.

[Jack Burton]

There's a big difference between mass murder and serial murder.

[Catsworld]

You forgot Charles Manson and his infamous minions.

[MsB]

It's always the "quiet" men you have to watch out for. They are the ones who people always say "he's so nice and polite" YEAH...I was married to a guy like that, and always wondered if he was going to track me down and kill me and our children. You never know what will cause someone to just snap.

[Just a comment]

First of all it's not firearms that kill it is people who kill. Even if guns were banned alltogether don't you think people who seek revenge would be able to get them anyway? Come on.. No one knows that this will happen. If you hold your anger in and then snap who would know? You never know what goes on in a relationship and what is going on in the head of someone until something happens like this. What about the guy who went on a rampage in Virginia. People saw him act a certain way until it was to late. Then they start seeing things after the fact. Could they have prevented it? Prevented what? Only until it happens does the media and people in general start discussing what he/she did that made them suspicious but they did not do anything about it.

[Humm]

So, the guys with all of the toys and the advantage in numbers stood outside so that god forbid one of them might get nicked while people who were perhaps not mortally wounded burned up ...

Damn, I remember the old days when being one of those guys meant you rushed to save even a single person even if it meant that you or your buddy might perish ....

[Against Hypocrisy]

I agree with the comments here about how society forces individuals to hold in their frustrations and personal agony. It is no surprise that horrifying events like this take place as a result. American society places a high priority on ridiculing the expression of basic emotions, whether positive or negative, and prides itself on the supression of natural instincts, feelings, and impulses, and frowns on ways to relieve negativity in a benign and harmless fashion.

At the same time, we are bombarded with freewheeling images of death, destruction, brutality, intimidation, humiliation, sexual hypocrisy, and cruelty, all for their own sake, for eager public consumption. Witness, for example, "American Idol". That show thrives on humiliating and degrading treatment of the contestants. Take sports for another example. Boxing is looked upon as brutal, but it has nothing on American Football, in which more of it's participants, of all ages, professional and amateur, have died violent deaths and suffered debilitating injuries than any professional or amateur in the entire history of boxing. The Roman Colosseum and the Circus Maximus never went away, they are alive and well.

It is time American society took a good look at itself in the mirror and begin to address the stereotypes, taboos, and ignorance regarding those who are in emotional and mental straits. Any one of us has that potential for the same anger and rage that Bruce Pardo had.

[wqds]

I think that a mass murderer is a more general term than serial killer. a mass murderer kills a large number of people. A serial killer kills poeple who fit into a specific victim type over a period of time with a specific motivation. A spree killer kills a bunch of people in one fell swoop. This guy was a spree killer and a mass murderer.

On a side note, I have had my share of relationships end, and have been angry, but the worst thing I have ever done is call someone when I should just let it lie and try to convince them to get back together. The problem isn't that people don't get to talk, it's that people in general think that their personal right to happiness should outweigh their responsibility to their families, communities and the law. I understand grief. i don't get the belief that it's okay to get a gun and methodically and systematically take the life of nine individuals. It is not the lack of expression of anger that caused this man to kill, it was selfishness and lack of ethics. I think he managed to convey his anger quite well.

[Meghan Sue Hovey]

It was totally inadequate for the Times to try to list all the mass killers - certainly they missed a lot of California serial killers and they're not even in the same subset of psychopaths, as Mr. Pardo. This man, like James Huberty, finally snapped and went on a one-time killing spree. In hindsight, it will no doubt come out that the warning signs were there, but who can predict just how far any one "average joe" type can go. My husband's former daughter-in-law is currently living in fear of her ex-boyfriend who has become a paranoid, crack-smoking threat to her. He is the father of her second child. Meanwhile, our grandson has to also live in that environment. No one asks for or will accept help (sanctuary) from us. Even my step-son seems oblivious to how dangerous the situation is for his son. My heart truly goes out to the survivors of this evil deed by Mr. Pardo - I just hope that we never experience it in our own family.

[HJones]

Wineville chicken coup murders, another one you forgot

[A minority LA Times reader]

How can you leave out Chester Turner? This very paper referred to him as "the most prolific serial killer in the history of Los Angeles". All of his victims were black. Some were prostitutes and addicts. They were human beings. They mattered.

[A Person]

Funny all the talk about serial killers and the 'quiet' type that turn out to be killers. What about gang members that go out and kill just for the fun of it? There are a lot of those! The truth is we ALL have the capacity to kill if we are set off by a certian set of events. Most of us luckily never get set off.

[Mark]

It's not fair to say "quiet men" or "white christian men" are psycho killers. I'm a quiet man and a white christian man, and I don't have any friends because I was abused as a child and as an adult, and everyone is so scared that they give me the cold shoulder. It's so hard sometimes not to cry in public. I've had bad breakups and been fired but for God's sake I'd never kill anyone over it, because I'm a good person. Statistics say 1 of 4 girls and 1 of 6 boys are sexually abused before they're 16. Think of how many people that means, who go on silently in desperation. Ignorant people like these hate-mongers make it all the worse for us, impossible to say anything for fear of being cast in the role of "psycho" even if we've never hurt anyone. In the spirit of Christ, and Job, we bear the brunt of the anger of human kind. I don't know the reasons why Pardo killed these people, and it will never make sense. But I'm not him, and I wouldn't hurt anyone, and what choice do you people give people like me but to sit alone in coffee shops or hide at home and never talk to anyone? Murderers are despicable, but so are you.

[Roldan R]

Every one are going to have opinions , but for those touched by this story and or people that knowany of the victoms as my-self and family do please try and help or give suggestion on ways to help family cope with this and finacial's. My 16 year old daughter went to schoool with Michael the youngest victom 17 . Ontario High School. Please for those that can help in any way please do so this isthe time when all people need to come together.

thank you

Roldan
adbayobay@msn.com

[cal godot]

First of all it's not firearms that kill it is people who kill.

Guns let people kill faster and with more efficiency. One would be hard-pressed to murder several people quickly using a knife, or even an axe.

Guns kill people, even by accident. Ever hear of someone accidentally stabbing themselves to death while cleaning a knife? No, and you probably never will.

Guns kill. They were invented to kill. Unlike knives, axes, chainsaws, they were not created for some other purpose and then used to kill. Guns serve no other purpose but to kill.

Let's be honest, yes?

[ANONYMOUS]

Peter, you bring up a good point.

But I would like to know what the in-laws and family did to him to point all his rage in there direction. He lost his job, he could of went postal ? instead he went toward covina. He was definitely a guy who needed help. We have to help one another or this will continue. God help us all. Communicating is such a positive thing. Not money and possessions.

[A]

You forgot the massacre at the McDonald's in San Ysidro in the mid 80's. I believe the murderer's name was James Huberty. He died so I guess this isn't pertinent here, since murderers who have been convicted and are in prison are being mentioned.

[Chris]

I am a victim of remote high-tech organized stalking (cause stalking, gang stalking) otherwise known as being a targeted individual.
With the access that individual people have to technology, the internet and data bases, I think more people should be made aware of these types of hate crimes that employ these methods of psychological torture and terrorism to use other people and technology to harass and hold their victims as psychological hostages.
What makes them organized stalkers and gang stalkers is not what types of technology or physical methods they use, its the psychological methods of using community groups and unrelated people into unknowingly committing stalking and harassment against these targeted individuals who they have been led to believe are criminals or enemies of their causes.
The targeted individuals usually have no association what so ever to these gang stalking organizers and psychological terrorists except that they were selected as victims of convenience and based off vulnerability.
These organized stalkers operate this from afar and have no direct contact with the victims. They do not themselves commit the violent acts against the targeted victims and will only do physically indirect harassment as not to do anything themselves that could point to a obvious criminal act.
This means that the targeted victims have no chance to defend themselves from the actual terrorist and are left with no tangible evidence to prove that these types of stalking, harassment and hate crimes are being committed against them. Without certain evidence and what seems to be unrelated incidences of random threats and harassment law authorities and even the victims closest friends and family usually dismiss this as paranoia and even turned to mental health officials who label these people schizophrenics and disillusion; making these victims live as virtual hostages without any legal defense against these psychological terrorists.
Many people like myself have the added dilemma that much of the organized stalking is done through 'deniable' technology and by sado-fantasy type cult members who have individuals and networks of stalkers in every walk of life and every type profession who's only connection to each other is that they get some kind of sub-human sadistic pleasure out of abusing and torturing people that they don't even see as human beings.
This is a serious and more prevalent type of hate crime that is based of methods of targeting and stalking that goes back centuries. These are psychological terrorists and their methods consist of one sided psychological warfare against subjects and targets who are not believed by the people around them and since they typically don't know the perpetrators personally have no way of identifying or protecting themselves from these people.
I would hope that law-enforcement and other anti-hate groups will at least take these victims more seriously and at least start keeping reports of incidences, because you do not know if that information may help a targeted individual or one day maybe even prosecute these organized stalkers who may have had countless victims and are always reliving and repeating their most heinous acts against new victims.

Citizen X of an Anonymous Public
San Francisco Bay Area

on victims