World Scene: United States

Santa gunman had lost job, wife

A man disguised as Santa Claus who killed 10 people at a Christmas party had lost his job and was finalizing a divorce.

Bruce and Sylvia Pardo started 2006 with an upcoming marriage, a combined income of about $150,000, half-million-dollar home and a beloved dog, Saki. But things quickly turned sour and divorce documents paint a bitter picture of Bruce's desperation as he lost his wife, then his job and finally the dog. Pardo's downward slide ended Christmas Eve, when the 45-year-old electrical engineer donned a Santa suit and massacred 10 people at his former in-laws' house in Covina, where a family Christmas party was under way. He then sent the home up in flames. Pardo had planned to flee to Canada following the killing spree but suffered burns and decided to kill himself instead.