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A terrifying murder-suicide committed by a man, costumed as Santa Claus, destroyed the joyous atmosphere of Christmas in 2011.
In Grapevine’s history, the massacre continues to be the deadliest crime.(Representative Image)
A horrific murder-suicide, committed by a man menacingly costumed as Santa Claus, destroyed the joyous atmosphere of Christmas morning in 2011 in Grapevine, Texas, which is regarded as the Christmas Capital. Seven bodies were found strewn among gift wrapping paper when the police arrived at the residence where the murders occurred, as per The Independent. Iranian-born Aziz Yazdanpanah, 56, murdered his estranged wife, their two teenage daughters, his brother-in-law, his niece, and his wife’s sister during a family Christmas get-together.
Aziz Yazdanpanah’s niece texted her boyfriend to complain about him when he got to the house. “We just got here and my uncle is here too. Dressed as Santa. Now he wants to be all fatherly and win father of the year,” she said. She was also shot dead along with her family 20 minutes later.
Before ending his own life, Aziz Yazdanpanah, wearing a red and white Santa outfit, reported the killings to 911. Officers found an upsetting site when they reached the location three minutes after the call.
Aziz Yazdanpanah shot and killed his estranged wife, Fatemeh Rahmati, 55, their 14-year-old son, Ali, and their 19-year-old daughter, Nona. He also murdered his wife’s sister, Zohreh Rahmaty, 58; her husband, Mohamad Hossein Zarei, 59; and their 22-year-old daughter, Sahra, reports inform. The victims received multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest and stomach. At the site, two handguns were found.
According to Independent, a family friend informed a local press that Aziz Yazdanpanah may have finally lost his cool when he was told he wasn’t invited to the family Christmas get-together. On Christmas Eve, the friend phoned Aziz Yazdanpanah and informed him that “his sister-in-law had control over his wife and children and they would listen to her when she called him evil.”
The killer’s terrifying final words, in which he confessed to the operator that he was shooting people, were captured on tape in a 911 call that Aziz Yazdanpanah had placed. He was heard repeating “help” twice throughout the call, then “I am shooting people,” and then he was breathing heavily before the line died and he shot himself, reports add. However, he attempted to arrange the scenario by putting one of the two weapons in his deceased brother-in-law’s hand before he died by suicide.
Aziz Yazdanpanah killed his family because of marital and financial difficulties, although he has stated that it may never be understood exactly what was going through his mind. At the time of the murders, he was unemployed and a former real estate professional.
The couple filed for bankruptcy together in August 2010. As the family’s financial difficulties worsened, Aziz Yazdanpanah’s wife worked at two spas to support their kids. She left the family’s house in April 2011 and moved into a two-mile-away apartment complex. Aziz stayed at home and kept having financial difficulties.
The massacre continues to be the worst deadly incident in Grapevine’s history.
