The Christmas Killer
Monday evening, 500 or so residents of Covina, California gathered at the Royal Oak Intermediate School to discuss the horrific Christmas Eve slayings committed by Bruce Pardo. Pardo, dressed as Santa Claus, walked into a family gathering at his ex-in-laws’ home, shooting a 9-year-old girl in the face and then killing nine other people. Before escaping and committing suicide himself, he burned the house to the ground.
According to police, Pardo had hoped to kill other people, too, including his mother, his wife’s divorce attorney and the attorney’s family. They believe he had been planning the carnage since June — perhaps even earlier.
Because of Pardo, 13 young people are orphans. Still others are without one of their parents.
What makes a man, who appeared to others to be quirky, but friendly, commit such an atrocity? How is it possible that the same person who had participated in a seemingly rational way in divorce proceedings could have done so with mayhem on his mind? How could he have wished the owner of his favorite coffee shop—the Montrose Bakery and Café—a merry Christmas just several hours before the slayings?
We know some of the stresses Pardo was facing. He had lost his job. His marriage had dissolved in the wake of his wife having learned he had abandoned a son she knew nothing about, a son left brain-damaged by nearly drowning while Pardo was to be watching him. Perhaps Pardo felt lingering guilt and grief over that tragedy.
Yet, in my 16 years as a psychiatrist, I have met hundreds of men and women who have shouldered equal or greater psychological burdens without their circumstances triggering violence of any kind. I have been privileged to see many of them face the loss of children, homes, marriages or their own health by looking inside themselves for strength — and finding it.
Pardo apparently had no such reserves of character upon which to draw, no hope for the future, no empathy left for others. He seems to fit into that category of men I have met in my work as a forensic psychiatrist who, faced with painful changes over which they lacked control, came to see their life stories — including the people in them — as ending, done with … over. It is as if they were collecting scripts from actors in a play that was going badly and being shut down. Then the curtain fell.
For Bruce Pardo, I can theorize (even without interviewing him), there had to be a deep-seeded belief — perhaps an unconscious one — that loss of control or perceived abandonment had always meant chaos and terror. There may have been unavoidable suffering in his own life as a child, suffering he could do nothing to prevent, suffering that left him, long into his adult life, with a child’s intense brand of terror at being powerless. There can be no consoling such a “man” when events — even those of his own making — seem to be rendering him isolated, subject to forces (like job loss and divorce decrees) he cannot bend to his infantile will, impotent.
Those feelings of impotence, I believe, may have been the ones turned upside-down and inside-out in the months leading to the Christmas Eve carnage in Covina. They may have been the ones that became fuel for a pathological and sinister plot that, in his own twisted mind, turned Bruce Pardo, for one terrible night, into the strongest man on earth, wielding the power of life and death over others, as though the frailties in his own psyche could somehow be camouflaged, even beyond his own recognition, by a storm of bullets and shield of flame.
Tags: Bruce Pardo, california, Christmas Eve, Covina, Dr. Keith Ablow, fire, murderer, shooting, suicide
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I read in the report on the foxnews.com website that Pardo possibly intended on killing his mother as well. If the theory that is actions may stem from some trauma in his life suffered as a child and at the time left him terrorized with helplessness, I wonder what if anything that may have had to do with his father. Perhaps that, and then the feeling he had when his son became brain-damaged, nearly drowning while in Pardo’s care. In that case he left his son more helpless and, perhaps in the moments during the accident, more terrorized than he ever was. Then Pardo tries to banish the situation from his life by abandoning the son he did not protect, living as though it never happened. Then his ex-wife discovers the boy and the deceptiveness in the man she married, divorces him and again puts him in a state of helplessness, in which he has no control over the situation, and all the while the entire situation continues to remind him of how he is responsible for his son’s condition. HE is the father that did not protect his son. Who is responsible for all of the terror and helplessness that his son experienced and those reminders left little ability for Pardo to block out the trauma from his childhood. This may explain why he intended to kill his mother.
But it breaks my heart how people who may have been ’saved’ if someone had shown some empathy toward them at their most vulnerable, are the same people who’d shoot an 8 year old girl in the face on Christmas Eve.
Please! I am so sick of people feeling sorry for the wicked people in this world. More than likely he was a spoiled child who never learned to control himself or think of others ahead of himself. We are raising a generation of children with no self-control and a steady pastime of entertainment violence.
Nobody really knows what others may be going through. Some who knew him assumed he was a nice man. Some of us can rise above our pains while turning them into amazing gifts to inspire others. Some may lack the spiritual maturity to deal efficiently with their inner pains. Sometimes, all a person may need is empathy from others. “I understand what you’re going through. You’re going to be alright. I ‘m here for you” These kind words can mean life and death to a desperate being. In absence of such understanding, one must rely on himself/or herself. Unfortunately, some may not know how to reach for the power within that can guide them during amazing strife.
In the case of Pardo, I wonder if kind words could have helped to avert this horrible crime against these innocent victims. I wonder what may have been going on inside his heart. There are a lot of humans going through hardships and facing insurmountable odds everyday on this planet with no help from anyone. They would never even think of committing such atrocities.
We must pray for his soul and most importantly we must also pray for the victims. I feel so sad for these poor kids who are going to grow up without their parents. Sadly, he’s left a lot of pains behind. I am sure that his victims will rise above this horrible sadness. They can find healing and comfort in forgiveness. May the good Lord bless, protect them and give them the strength necessary so they can heal.
When someone loses their job
maybe employers could offer a referral for counseling
instead of just throwing people in the street.
When someone has a life altering tragedy to a child
maybe the hospital could offer family counseling.
When a wife splits from a husband suddenly maybe she could offer
grief counseling from a close friend.
This is not to excuse what he did
but maybe there is a social responsibility missing in our society.
That sounds like a good acessment to me Doc…
Shooting the 8 year old in the face as she opened the door for him…that was huge power play. It let everyone know right away who was in charge and who meant business. Who ever answered the door would have gotten the same treatment. But an little 8 year old girl…he certainly was a lost soul.
What is your opinion, Doc, when someone is that far gone, in their mind…can you ever bring them back?
Do you think he would have killed his brother and his family if they had not been at mass when he went there?
What do you think about the fact that as soon as he married Silvia, with in a couple of months he became very cold and indifferent. Was he impotent? Was his life so much a cover up that he just couldn’t hide it any more?
I am going to have to look up what you said about the 8 year old who killed his Father and friend, in Arizona. That should be an interesting read, as well…
You seem like a good Doc and I like your smile.
Come and see me sometime and we will have some tea…
at the BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.
Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
…known around the Internet as…
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
I am a counselor/therapist myself, although certainly not a psychiatrist like Dr. Ablow. I have to believe that in this case, with Pardo, as well as with Casey Anthony in Orlando, Florida (and many others we hear about in sensational cases), that truly…some people are just plain EVIL, and defy all other explanations. This is hard to “swallow” as a reality about human beings and while I think this explanation of someone’s actions is RARE, I do think in some instances, it really is THE explanation.
To even be able to CONCEIVE an idea like this is “Beyond the Pale”…to rig up a home made spray device wrapped like a Christmas present that will spray like a Storm Trooper would have used and use racing fuel, not to mention the guns, and then…to dress up like SANTA CLAUS!!
I believe all people, from time to time, have some pretty horrendous thoughts…but that’s all they are: thoughts. They would NEVER act on them in a MILLION years!! OR, if they ever set out to even begin to act on them, they would very quickly say to themselves: “WHAT am I doing?? I can’t do this!!”
That this man was INDEED “troubled” is clear. That he has some DSM-IV TR Diagnosis, Sure. But he is even beyond that. He is the personification of someone who CHOSE Evil.
It’s sad that he didn’t chose that evil to be only upon himself, and that he had to take others with him, leaving orphans or children with only one parent, and so decimating a family…there’s almost nobody left to care for them.
Evil–it’s very simple: evil, selfish sinful man–that is who could shoot an eight-year old gril in the face on Christmas Eve (while hiding a fuel bomb in a gift-wrapped package).
Pure unadulterated evil…Yes, he may have had a ’sad’ life–but so much of it was his own doing!
I dated the guy and was asked to marry him – almost 20 years ago. He is sick the things he said and things he did to me – sick … I saw him as a lost soul back then and sick and mean – but “sneaky mean” – he was agressive and sick …. not a “Mom” thing although he did hate his mom … but his brother is normal ..
HE … BRUCE all by himself was sick. Everything I saw on the news was “SO BRUCE” – the fire, the anger, the dual personalities .. I guess you can only “see” these things when you are close to someone .. the girls (old girlfriends and friends) who blog on here about him suddenly “snapping” are wrong wrong wrong – they were obviously not close enough to him … I was, and I can totally picture him planning this out … based on watching & listening to him for over a year …
I am sickened to my stomach and have been tormented for the past few weeks as these memories of him and his anger came flooding back to me – I could hardly sleep … snippits of “weird” conversations, agressions, disappearances, etc …..
Believe me he is a sick puppy and I hate him for what he did to this family!
I think Lynne touched on an interesting point. I believe that one of the reasons that people can detach themselves and commit such horrific acts, is that in their minds they percieve their actions as Heroic or even Romantic. The media keeps portraying vicious, cold blooded murderers as “lost souls”…or “misunderstood” who were treatd badly by life…sometimes even portraying *them* as “Victims” rather than simply for the unable to cope, murderous socio paths that they are.
So when they finally “snap”…somewhere in their minds they might believe the world will finally “hear what they have to say” … If they went into this believeing that they will perceived as having been world class A**Holes, rather than Martyrs…maybe some results might be different.
I knew Bruce for 6yrs. I was he’s hairdresser and good friend. My kids and me where over his house all the time. We did so many holidays together. He was a wonderful, caring. giving person. All he ever wanted was to give love and be around a family. I’m having real hard time hearing all those horrible things people that did not even know him are saying. I know what he did was super wrong.
What did they do to him to do something so wrong. You only here the side of his family what they have to say. Doc sorry but you said it you have not interview him. How can you say the things you do about him. You did not know what was going through his head. I talk to him in Oct 08. I knew something was not right about him. Since he got married I sayed away to repect his marrage.
Everybody is saying oh he is so horrible. I don’t know why for everybody these just an other story to read about. I lost a good friend. No matter what he was a human been. He had feelings. Everybody is different. Some people handle hate different. I don’t why the news is all over these.
Why because it was done on Christimas eve. Man kill there wife all over united states why is that on the news. My friend made it on the news because he killed 9 peope and himself in one day.
He had never done anything wrong in his life. About he son it was in accident. It don’t about he wasa bad person. I have 3 kids anything can happened in one second like anything else. There killing all these soliders for 7yrs for nothing.
I knew Bruce for 6yrs. I was his’s hairdresser and friend. My kids & me were at he’s home all the time. We did holidays together. He was a wonderful, loving. caring,funny person. It’s hard for me to hear all these horrible things people are saying who didn’t even know him. For someone who was so nice. What they do to him to do something so bad. Everybody just hears her family sides. I know what he did was wrong. Sorry Doc you said it you never interviewed him. You don’t know what was going through his head. For everybody this is just other story to read. I lost a friend. No matter what he was a human been. He had feelings. About he’s son it was in accendent. I have kids things happened in seconds does not mean you are a mad person. For 45 years he never did nothing wrong. All he wanted is to have a family. I talked to him Oct 08. I knew something was not right with him. He did not tell me anything. I don’t know why the news is making it so big. Husbands kill there wifes or ex-wifes all over united states. My friend made it to the news because the day he did it.
He took 9 lifes and himself. So now he is a horribel person. Everybody is different. They deal with hate different. Nobody can judge him. Soliders been getting killed for 7yrs for nothing. Nobody is saying anything about BUSH. Nobody knew Bruce because in a million yrs I never thought he can do something so bad. Just let the family deal with there pain. Bruce Mom is a wonerful person she does not did to be readng this
DID ANYONE EVER STOP TO THINK THAT THIS GUY COULD HAVE NEARLY DROWNED HIS SON HIMSELF ALL THOSE YEARS AGO? THAT IT WAS NOT AN “ACCIDENT”. THESE SHOOTINGS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME HE “LOST IT”.