While lawyers for Pardo and Sylvia exchanged briefs in the fall, Pardo spent most of his time at home in Montrose. He ate lunch a few times a week at the Montrose Bakery & Cafe, ordering a turkey or pastrami sandwich and, for dessert, a raspberry danish. He usually occupied a booth near the window, keeping an eye on Saki on the sidewalk.
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A solitary man with murder in his heart
Bruce Pardo methodically amassed an arsenal, prepared a Santa Claus disguise and plotted his escape. Then he killed his former wife and eight other people at a Christmas Eve party.
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On Sept. 8, he called a neighbor, Jeri Deiotte, owner of Jeri's Costumes. He ordered a Santa Claus outfit, saying it was for a children's party. He dropped off a $200 deposit and promised to return in November.
During August and September, Pardo applied for jobs in the high-tech industry, but few companies were hiring. Because of Pardo's financial difficulties, the judge hearing their divorce case agreed to suspend his support payments.
About that time, Steve Erwin, an old high school friend, telephoned. Erwin, his wife and six children lived in Iowa, and he and Pardo hadn't been in touch for several years. Erwin invited Pardo to Iowa in October to help celebrate Erwin's 45th birthday.
When Pardo arrived, he told Erwin about the divorce and said he had "been sitting at home and thinking about everything."
Pardo seemed embarrassed that his personal life, including his firing and finances, was on public display in divorce court, Erwin recalled. Pardo told him that he and his mother were barely speaking and that she sat with Sylvia's family at divorce hearings.
Pardo seemed to enjoy Erwin's children. He helped them with their algebra homework and gave them change from his pockets. When he left town, he left seven $1 bills under Erwin's 9-year-old son's pillow.
Pardo also stopped by a gun shop in Iowa and bought 16 handgun magazines, each of which holds 18 bullets, eight more than allowed in magazines sold in California.
He returned to California and went to pick up his Santa outfit from Deiotte. Most of her customers rented costumes, but Pardo, at 6 feet 4 and 275 pounds, had wanted his made to order. And he specifically asked that it have extra room.
When he picked up the suit, he paid the $100 remaining on his bill and tipped her $20.
His plan was coming together. He had five handguns in a room at home and a DeWalt compressor, a 50-foot hose and a tank of high-octane fuel in a backyard shed.
Days before Thanksgiving, he set up his Christmas lights.
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