Bad Santa Mass Murder Case Has A Familiar Ring

Click on poster to enlarge it.

Scottsdale, AZ—It was in April of 2001 there was another strange case of domestic Arson/Murder involving a fireman with a pristine background. That suspect, Robert Fisher is still on the run today.

Had the Bad Santa killer, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo not been seriously burned he too may have been on the FBI Ten Most Wanted List.

Like Pardo nobody expected Fisher to engage in such serious mayhem.

KPNX-TV asked me how difficult for someone like Robert Fisher to hide in plain sight and this is what I told them…

Bad Santa’s Flame Thrower Is Simple To Make.

Here is our Bad Santa’s flame thrower recovered by Covina, CA police.

Covina, CA—When Bruce Jeffrey Pardo went after his ex-wife and her family dressed as Santa Claus he had a homemade flame thrower. Pardo used racing fuel that is much more volatile than gasoline. The Internet is full of videos put up by kids fooling around with these devices that make ordinary firearms seem lame.

You don't need to undergo a background check to get what you need to incinerate your own neighborhood.

These devices can cremate you and your entire family within seconds without the sound of gunshots. They can be assembled with simple items you can buy at your Home Depot. How will the gun Control lobby deal with these?
Homemade Flamethrower using Weed Killer Sprayer

Why I don’t Trust US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

Chicago, IL—What Patrick Fitzgerald has is golden, a way to implicate or clear Barack Obama of wrongdoing. Fitzgerald can name his own price for results favorable to Obama. Prosecutors sell out all the time and get away with it since prosecutors never indict other prosecutors.

Fitzgerald has already asked the Illinois Legislature not to issue subpoenas for the highest members of Obama’s team involved in Blagogate. The Democrats running the House Impeachment Committee of the Legislature called for impeachment while forgetting due process details that would potentially destroy their darling President-elect.

They are all desperate now to avoid that at all cost. You can’t impeach anyone with affording then due process so impeachment is going to be off the table at least for now.

Demanding Subpoenas was the right move by lawyer Ed Genson. His plan has seemed to have worked. Right now they are all in a stalemate.

Fitzgerald made it too easy for the controlling Democrats by saying subpoenas would hurt his investigation. I say that’s hogwash. The damage would come as the Obama staffers all declined to testify citing the Fifth Amendment. That would create an instant Constitutional crisis for Barack Obama and this country.

We need to deal with this mess and if it brings down a budding Whitehouse criminal conspiracy, so be it.

What Fitzgerald needs to win the golden parachute of his life is a surgical strike that only takes down Rod Blagojevich and any other troublesome Democrats while making a saint out of Obama.

The real problem will be Rod Blagojevich himself who won’t stand to be a patsy and simply fall on his sword. I place Blagojevich at the very top of the Dead Pool if he continues to refuse to cooperate.

If this investigation somehow continues without shenanigans Obama is sure to be incriminated for the business as usual of Chicago’s criminal Democratic Organization.

If on the other hand Fitzgerald is on the Square and takes down this entire criminal cabal he could be elected President himself.

I Lost Yet Another Remarkable Friend…

Paradise Valley, AZ—When I wanted to audition for my first acting role in the play, One Flew over The Cuckoo’s Nest for A Scottsdale theater I could not find a copy of the script anywhere. I just didn’t know where to look. Frustrated, I decided to try and find the author. I am, after all a private investigator.

The author of that great play was a man named Dale Wasserman. I was happy because with such an uncommon name he’d be easier to find than his script. I fully expected to find him in Los Angeles or New York. I was shocked to find him living only a few miles from my Phoenix home. I quickly obtained his unlisted telephone number and called him.

Dale turned out to be a delightful fellow who understood my difficulty and invited me over to pick up an extra copy of his script. Wow!

When I arrived Dale invited me into his large home office decorated in, “Man of LaMancha” motif. Yes, he wrote that huge international hit play too. Dale handed me a copy of the play and I could not resist asking him to autograph it for me. Dale suggested I read for Bromden, the Native American role.

I took the script home, studied it and came to the audition and read for it. I did not get the part. I did however get picked for the role of Dr. Spivey the psychiatrist. I went on to be in that play that sold out every night and was twice extended. I was hooked on acting.

Soon I was in Man of LaMancha too as a muleteer. After that, came more roles and membership in the, Screen Actor’s Guild, and later AFTRA. I have still paid more in dues than I ever made as an actor.

Dale later called me for a small business problem over some property he owned and I helped him in kind.

Dale offered to read the first script I wrote and then helped me by completely trashing it. He urged me to continue writing and confided in me that the royalty checks for his works have never stopped coming to his mailbox. His writing skills served him well. He put me in the right direction and you cannot buy that kind of help.

We became friends. Soon he invited me to audition for his play, A Walk In The Sky. How could I refuse? I went, I auditioned and was promptly rejected for that singing role.

I did however find a rare vintage photo of Dale’s friend, actor, Kirk Douglass, put it in a frame and gave it to Dale as a small present. Douglass was standing in front of the Broadway marquee where Cuckoo’s Nest was playing. Dale directed Douglass who created the role as the first R.P. McMurphy in the play. Douglass bought the rights and his son Michael produced the wildly successful movie that starred Jack Nicholson. Dale loved the present as he laughed and complained about Douglass being such a hard bargainer.

Dale had several Tony Awards in his home on display and chucked that they all came by UPS since he did not do Award shows. I think he enjoyed being a no show where others, more notable than him had to accept the awards on his behalf. Dale pulled that stunt nine times!

Dale told me he was a train hopping hobo as a youth. He never finished high school, came to Los Angeles started as a lighting assistant and wound up writing 100 or so published works. His first major film script was, The Vikings that starred Kirk Douglass, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

Dale was a mentor who taught me about the craft of screen writing. Without Dale’s influence there would be no script for Come Friday, written by me to tell the great story of Chicago policewoman Ann Leybourne.

It was congestive heart failure that took this giant of a man who was 94 years-old. Wasserman is survived by Martha Nelly Garza, his wife of 30 years.

See video of Dale in his home office here.

Retail Business Tank While On Line Sales Soar

Los Angeles, CA—America’s retail establishments are in deep trouble. I can understand why in places like Chicago and Los Angeles that insist on taxing retail customers to death.

Amazon.com sales have soared to the best year ever with a 17% boost in 2008. It’s really simple the local jurisdictions need to end their extortion that the public can’t afford.

Lowering sales taxes encourages more not less sales. Chicago has done their best to run every business out of town. Simple math says you can tax at a rate of 100% but 100% of nothing is nothing. Local jurisdictions need to compete because people can drive to places with lower tax rates or shop on line.

Taxation is out of control in America along with wasteful government spending. Productivity must be rewarded and not punished or we won’t have anything to produce. Fewer goods are made and sold causes our jobs to hemorrhage. The answer by our government is still more extortion.

Parking a car in Chicago costs more than some people pay to rent apartments. How is that good for any business? Please tell me who is dumb enough to want to shop or work in a city with no place to park? Who wants to run a business where they, their customers and workers can’t afford to park?

Chicago’s politicians demand tax money for unneeded public works projects to generate pay to play extortion. This vicious cycle needs to end. Since they won’t end pay to play perhaps it’s time to stop paying extortionists. Maybe we should simply kill them instead? Otherwise it will only get worse.

Electing a politician does not grant him or government a license to tax citizens unreasonably. Perhaps politician's terms can be shortened with a hangman's noose. We have done that before and we can do that again.

Santa Maniac Questions remain

Covina, CA—The pristine background of the Santa Claus Killer now known as, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo provides no clue for his deadly commando assault on his ex-wife and her family.

Pardo was a well-educated engineer who regularly attended a Catholic church, lived in a nice home, had friends and a faithful dog. People who knew Pardo never saw a hint of the anger and desperation leading to the unleashed terror.

Pardo did not need to use his guns since his homemade racing fuel fed flame thrower quickly reduced the home he attacked and people inside to mere ashes. Police say that Pardo himself suffered third-degree burns from the back-blast. His Santa suit actually melted with his skin.

Divorce is difficult for anyone and being a Catholic carries addition problems because the church does not accept divorce. There was no fight over children but the wife got the dog in the settlement and that is no small loss.

Pardo did lose his job but was living the American dream and would soon find new employment.

This event is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. This is beyond rare. I’ve seen lots of senseless violence but in the vast majority of cases there are signs and signals. When people hurt they complain and if the stress becomes too severe for them they act out in far less destructive ways.

We will have to wait for two things, a total drug screen and a psychiatric autopsy on Pardo. I wonder what if anything could be done that would have allowed this fellow to move on with his life and perhaps even find a new and more desirable wife then the one who left him? What cause a rational and successful man to this kind of ending?

We know so little about insanity and the actual culpability some killers. I believe that nobody deserved to be in this holocaust including Pardo himself.

New Years and Gunfire

Celebratory gunfire at New Years is a tradition worldwide. People fire guns into the air simply to make noise. Is this dangerous? It could be. This can be a big problem when the shooters are also drinkers. Accidents can always happen around loaded guns, cars, boats trains, airplanes and alcohol increases that possibility.

The danger to people outside if the immediate vicinity is way overrated. If the gun is discharged in a steep angle to the ground the bullet falls to earth at terminal velocity and that speed is determined by weight. Unless that fired bullet lands on a crowd hitting a person is incredible rare. If the bullet hits someone at terminal velocity the likelihood of injury is small.

Shooting into the air is stupid, wasteful and frightens people. To say its bad for gun owner’s public relations for is an understatement. The discharge a gun around people who are without ear protection could permanently damage hearing. Why do that to your friends and family?

Laws have been passed in nearly every city of any size prohibit this activity. Don’t do this and discourage your friends from this activity. There are still plenty of places were shooting is reasonable and expected.

This kind of behavior is acceptable only by ignorant jerks. The most dangerous flying object on New Year’s should be a Champaign cork.

K-9 Kriminal’s Kaper Kaught On Kamera!

Murray, UT--Surveillance cameras never sleep! When a larcenous mutt hungered for a John Wayne sized rawhide chew he knew just where to go. He slipped into his local supermarket went directly to the correct isle and stole what he wanted.

An alert store manager tried to stop the Krooked K-9 during his daring escape but did not want to lose a pinky or two in the process. I think this k-9 Kaper will hit America’s Most Wanted with a big reward.

Crimefile’s Official Review of Valkyrie

Westwood Village, Los Angeles, CA—Being a history buff and having a special bond with Germany and its people seeing this film was mandatory for me. After serving as an Army medical corpsman(1968-1970)in Germany, I nearly stayed there to live. I should at least obtained employment with a government or company that would have given me equal time on both sides of the Atlantic.

I also have a special bond of sorts with actor and Valkyrie star, Tom Cruise. His “mother”, Janet Caroll, from the Film, Risky Business is my friend. Janet’s father was a Chicago Police officer and district secretary. She also has several police bosses in her immediate family. Janet was successfully acting and singing in both Los Angeles and New York. Janet has recently returned to Los Angeles where she has made a second life for herself as an ordained minister helping others.

Operation Walküre was a German government plan for martial law in event of a breakdown of law and order or revolt during World War Two. It was even approved by Adolph Hitler but I don’t think he had it in mind being used as a tool during a Coup d’état against his dictatorship.

The name, Die Walküre comes from that great Richard Wagner opera. The last time I remember that music being used in a movie was in Francis Ford Coppola’s Viet Nam War epic, Apocalypse Now for Colonel Kilgore’s (Robert Duval) Second Air Calvary helicopter assaults on the Viet Cong. Kilgore played Die Walküre over loud speakers as he and his troops chased VC gooks to frighten them while controlling their population.

The original word use was Norse. The Vikings called maidens who served their God, Odin as choosers of slain warriors, Valkyries, who were taken to reside in Valhalla

MGM publicists billed Valkyrie as a thriller. I’m not sure why since everyone who was not raised in a shoe knows the story. This was a drama and a very good one at that. The heart pounding moments were expertly detailed throughout this film.

This film was based on the most famous of the 15 plots to kill Adolf Hitler during his reign of power. It was bungled when, 37 year-old, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who lost a a hand and two fingers from his remaining hand in combat could not assemble more than 50 percent of the explosives he brought to do the job. Hitler, while wounded continued in power for nearly a year before he was defeated and committed suicide.

Film critics, especially those working today hate war films. I did not expect they’d have much good to say about this MGM masterpiece. They are all too young and way too Gay to appreciate a good war story.

The costumes and props were incredibly accurate for the period. As for the acting I saw no weak players in this ensemble cast or anything to detract from the story. If there is a downside of this film is that there are no surprises since this attempted assassination and Coup d’état after all was and is well-documented history.

Tom Cruise has come a long way since, Risky Business. I will see this film moer than once and so should you.

Visit the official site

More about Janet Caroll.

The Guns of Valkyrie:
There are a lot of my readers with questions about the guns used in this film. As for the small arms represented was the Walther PPK pistol War issue in the popular (at the time) .32 caliber cartridge. That gun was issued to party bosses and Generals. They’d have all been better off with Walther P-38s or the Luger in 9-MM.

The standard Mauser duty rifles of the Bundeswehr are everywhere in the film. There were a few MP-40 9MM machine pistols in the film too.

Blagogate Witness Subpoenas Sought

Springfield, IL—Lawyer Ed Genson is demanding subpoenas for witnesses as part of his impeachment defense on behalf of Governor Rod Blagojevich. Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and Jessie Jackson, Jr. and Barack Obama . I don't think these folks are looking forward to answering Genson’s questions under oath anytime soon.

The conventional wisdom is that the Democratically controlled Illinois Legislature would bend over backwards protecting Obama and his minions. The problem is they can’t have their cake and eat it too, meaning they can’t impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich without affording him due process. Democrats may live to regret their rush to impeach the beleaguered governor.

Okay, I’m laughing at the dilemma and am pleased to report that Emanuel, Jarrett and Jackson have hired their own criminal lawyers. I can’t wait to see these impeachment witnesses taking the Fifth and refusing to testify.

Mermaid Captured and On Display at Sydney Aquarium & Wildlife World

Her name is Hanna and she is part of the aquatic wildlife at this aquarium down under at Sydney Australia. I can see lots of daddies with newfound interest in sea life taking their children to study nature with Hanna…

“Santa Claus” Murders Three, No Make That Eight, No, Now it's Nine, Wounds Two At A Christmas Party

Covina, CA.--Police say a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire with a handgun at a Christmas Eve party. Three people were killed and two others including an 8 year-old girl were wounded by gunfire.

When police responded to the scene they found the home on fire. Firemen could not immediately respond because of reported gunfire. The bodies were found once the fire was extinguished.



Police believe that the attack came as a result of an ongoing domestic dispute. They are seeking a man they are calling a person of interest, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo. Police say Pardo is the estranged husband of a person who may have been at the party.

Update: 9:10 AM Covina police now say their person of interest Bruce Pardo has killed himself. Pardo's body was later found at the home of his brother near Slymar, CA.

Second update: Police are now saying "several more bodies" have been found in the burned out crime scene. I will update this with full details when available.

Third Update: The body count is at nine. Our Santa used a pressurized flame thrower on the victims. Read more here at KTLA.

Two Boys, 7 And 10 Critically Beaten, Man Arrested In Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ—Two little boys were found unconscious, and near death at a park located at 93rd Avenue and West Elwood Street. The boys, Jesse Ramirez, 7, and Edwin Pellecier, 10 were badly injured by what has been determined to be blunt force trauma. At this hour the the boys who are cousins are not expected to survive. The boys were discovered on Wednesday.

Police arrested 36 year-old, Joe Sauceda Gallegos a man with a history or erratic behavior. Gallegos was observed walking away from the scene with a baseball bat on surveillance video. Police are unsure of any motive for the attack on the two boys.

A subsequent search of Galegos’ home led to the seizure of a bloody T-shirt and an aluminum baseball bat.

This is video from the Maricopa County Superior Court bail bond hearing:


There is more on this story from KTVK-TV in Phoenix, AZ.

Update: 12/26/08 sadly both little boys died this morning. It's expected to see charges upgraded to two counts of murder against Joe Sauceda Gallegos.

Merry Christmas

To my visitors:

I know we are in for some difficult times ahead. Somehow we wound up under the control of the worst possible politicians. Our economy is tanking and those of us still working for government are facing far less desirable working conditions.

I hope the New Year brings wisdom and sense to our elected leaders. We are all Americans that want safety, prosperity, good health and a reason to keep smiling. That will be our future if we stick together and fight for that.

We will never all agree on everything but in the end we have more in common than we disagree about.

Here is my favorite Christmas experience as a cop:

I could not top this Christmas story from so long ago when I was a young cop. I am republishing this because it’s really special to me and I hope everyone else that reads it.

I remember working every Christmas of my life when I was a cop. I never really minded that because it was always an easy day.

One such Christmas, We received a disturbance call and responded to a rat hole apartment building on Chicago's Roosevelt Road. We came in expecting trouble but found no disturbance. The problem was that the mom and dad of the house could not operate their brand new Polaroid camera.

The apartment was modest, but clean and tidy with fresh cake and cookies on the table. Our mom and dad were both unable to read the camera instruction book. There were five kids with their presents that needed to get their pictures taken next to their Christmas tree. That was a quick fix. Before we left we took pictures of the whole family all smiling and happy.

One thing more, there was a cross and the wall with a picture of Jesus Christ. In the middle of poverty there were some lucky children being raised by two parents that had some dignity and pride. That made my Christmas a little more enjoyable.

Crime, Guns and Video Tape wishes all our visitors a wonderful Holiday Season!

Obama Cleared Himself! Thank God It’s Over!

Chicago, IL—I was so worried that Barack Obama and his transition team might come back with a finding of impropriety or even criminal conduct in the Blagogate matter. Whew! They were able to clear themselves!

I guess Obama must think the whole world is as dumb as the dopes that voted for him. I wonder how many other crooked politicians would have gone away to Club Fed if they too were allowed to investigate themselves? Hell if Obama gets to investigate himself Governor Rod Blagojevich should being entrusted with the same ability to clear himself! Let’s play fair.

I can’t help but consider Obama’s self-serving-self-probing is anything less than laughable. Where are the telephone and e-mail records? Records? We don’t need no stinkin’ records!

Vote For Your Favorite Police Blog

Cyberspace News Flash—There is a poll out where you can vote for your favorite police related blog. I voted for myself a half million times but not one vote registered! Is the fix in?

Vote early, vote often!

Crime, Guns and Videotape is halfway down the list!

VOTE HERE!

Why Am I Not Surprised Obama Reneged

President-elect, Barack Obama promised us full disclosure on his and his transition team’s communications with embattled and accused Senate Seat Seller, Rod Blagojevich.

What we know now is that Obama reneged and full disclosure ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. No memos, phone or e-mail records will ever see daylight. This is hardly a great start for the, Administration of Change that has not even begun yet. Is this a sign of things to come?

Why am I expecting a cover up that would even make Richard Nixon roll over in his grave? The really bad news for Obama is the rats that surround rats can be counted on to eat each other. It’s only a matter of time…

An Actor’s Strike On The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Los Angeles, CA—As a long time member of the, Screen Actor’s Guild, I’m watching the movement toward an actor’s strike.

In Los Angeles acting is a tough game. Unless you are closely related to, sleeping with or have decapitated some Hollywood big shot's prize horse and put put that trophy in his bed your chances of making a decent living are really slim.

It’s the agents who control who does or does not work. For the unemployed or underemployed actors there are auditions with endless driving, waiting and all manner of roadblocks. For example you must pay for your own parking during auditions. Hundreds of actors are submitted to producers for nearly every single role.

I know may actors that are lucky to get five tiny parts in an entire year. For that they are compensated at $759.00 per day for speaking roles. The Internet and related new media threatens actors on any residuals. The Internet has no control and actor’s products are subject to perpetual play.

Yes there are a small percentage of actors that are multi-millionaires That’s not a reason to not pay the lesser exposed actors who after all make these films possible.

Actors I know are always one step-ahead of the bill collectors, landlords and starvation as they live hand to mouth. Too many of these SAG members are reduced to prostituting their services to non-union producers just to eat. Too many lives have been shattered on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams by poverty.

Even during these hard times I’m in favor of a strike. Entertainment always has done well even during the Great Depression. With a zero percent interest rate investing in movies seems less risky and handsome returns can still be made. To the producers I say Pay up or do without.

Santa’s Helpers Disable Red Light Cameras In Phoenix!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause!

Oak Park Illinois Latest Most Wanted Criminal

Oak Park, IL-This quiet, progressive and wealthy town was the location of an armed robbery. I can’t understand how that could happen since the Village of Oak Park politicians have done their best to make laws banning guns for simple self-defense.

As one man was putting gas in his car, two other men decided to try and rob him of his leather coat. Instead of handing over the coat the intended victim drew a gun and shot one of the robbers twice and quickly left the scene. Of course leaving the scene of the shooting is not a crime anywhere in America.

The wounded stick-up man had some very nasty but non-life threatening injuries. So far police have arrested nobody but a dragnet has been cast for the intended victim.

I just hope the lucky fellow who survived the robbery attempt is smart enough to remain absolutely silent and demand a lawyer if they ever catch up to him. Thankfully this fellow put his own life at a higher priority than blindly obeying unconstitutional Illinois gun laws.

The spirit of Paul Kersey lives in Oak Park! This is yet another bedtime story with a happy ending!