Holy Name of Mary Church at 724 Bonita Avenue in San Dimas
Hundreds packed the Holy Name of Mary Church today to mourn and remember the nine family members killed in that vengeful Christmas Eve massacre by a gunman dressed in a Santa costume. The media was not allowed on the church grounds. KNX 1070 newsradio reported a huge crowd filled the church, which seats more than a thousand, forcing many to listen to the funeral service over loudspeakers outside.
Police say 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, an unemployed recently divorced engineer, stormed into the Covina home of his ex-in-laws during a Christmas Eve party. Pardo shot several people and then torched the home with a homemade device. A few hours after the attack, Pardo killed himself.
All of the victims of that massacre have been identified: they are Pardo’s 43-year-old wife Sylvia, her parents 80-year-old Joseph Ortega and 70-year-old Alicia Ortega, her brother 50-year-old Charles Ortega and his 45-year-old wife Cheri, her brother 52-year-old James Ortega and his wife 51-year-old Teresa, her 46-year-old sister Alicia Ortiz , and her 17-year-old nephew Michael Ortiz.
The cremated remains of the victims will be buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Covina Hills.
