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Dec. 24, 2002: Laci Peterson Goes Missing
Laci Peterson, Scott Peterson.ZUMA Press
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Dec. 6, 1959: The Los Feliz Murder House
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The 5,050-square-foot mansion became known as the “Los Feliz Murder House” and remained empty for decades thereafter, until a couple purchased it in 2016 for $2.3 million.
03of 08Dec. 24, 2008: 9 People Killed in Covina, CaliforniaLiz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times/APOn Christmas Eve, 2008,what started as a joyous occasion ended in horrorwhen a disgruntled man showed up at his former in-laws’ Christmas party dressed as Santa Claus and opened fire.He fatally shot his ex-wife, Sylvia Pardo, 43, her parents, two brothers, their wives, and her sister. He then started a fire using a homemade flamethrower, which engulfed the house and killed Sylvia’s 17-year-old nephew, before he fled the scene and killed himself.
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Dec. 24, 2008: 9 People Killed in Covina, California
Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times/AP
On Christmas Eve, 2008,what started as a joyous occasion ended in horrorwhen a disgruntled man showed up at his former in-laws’ Christmas party dressed as Santa Claus and opened fire.
He fatally shot his ex-wife, Sylvia Pardo, 43, her parents, two brothers, their wives, and her sister. He then started a fire using a homemade flamethrower, which engulfed the house and killed Sylvia’s 17-year-old nephew, before he fled the scene and killed himself.
04of 08Dec. 26, 1996: JonBenét Ramsey MurderMark Fix/ZUMAEarly in the morning on Dec. 26, 1996, the family ofJonBenét Ramseycalled police, saying they awoke to find their 6-year-old daughter missing from their Boulder, Colorado, home.“We have a kidnapping. Hurry, please. There’s a note left and our daughter’s gone. She’s 6 years old. She’s blonde. She’s 6 years old,” Patsy Ramsey frantically said in a 911 call that launched one of the nation’smost bizarre infamous murder mysteries.The following day, JonBenét’s body was found in her family’s basement — she had been badly beaten and strangled, her mouth duct-taped closed.The case remains unsolved. In 2008, advances in DNA testing led then-Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy to state that based upon a review of very specific material collected from JonBenét’s body and the scene, nothing linked the parents to the crime. But in 2015, former Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said, “Exonerating anyone … is absurd.”
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Dec. 26, 1996: JonBenét Ramsey Murder
Mark Fix/ZUMA
Early in the morning on Dec. 26, 1996, the family ofJonBenét Ramseycalled police, saying they awoke to find their 6-year-old daughter missing from their Boulder, Colorado, home.
“We have a kidnapping. Hurry, please. There’s a note left and our daughter’s gone. She’s 6 years old. She’s blonde. She’s 6 years old,” Patsy Ramsey frantically said in a 911 call that launched one of the nation’smost bizarre infamous murder mysteries.The following day, JonBenét’s body was found in her family’s basement — she had been badly beaten and strangled, her mouth duct-taped closed.
The case remains unsolved. In 2008, advances in DNA testing led then-Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy to state that based upon a review of very specific material collected from JonBenét’s body and the scene, nothing linked the parents to the crime. But in 2015, former Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said, “Exonerating anyone … is absurd.”
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Dec. 24: Lori Lynn Upthegrove’s Body Found
06of 08Dec. 11, 2008: Caylee Anthony’s Remains FoundOrlando Sentinel/Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Getty; Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT/GettyOn Dec. 11, 2008, six months after she disappeared, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony’s skeletal remains were found less than a half-mile from her family’s home in Orlando, Florida. Subsequent to the discovery, her mother, Casey Anthony, was charged with murdering her — and her prosecution and murder trial sparked a media circus, culminating with an internationally televised six-week trial in 2011.She was controversiallyacquitted, but it didn’t help the public perception of her: A Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman described her as “one of the most hated women in America” — a moniker that stuck. Today, Anthony keeps a low-profile and her family is fractured: Casey no longer speaks to her father.
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Dec. 11, 2008: Caylee Anthony’s Remains Found
Orlando Sentinel/Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Getty; Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Getty
On Dec. 11, 2008, six months after she disappeared, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony’s skeletal remains were found less than a half-mile from her family’s home in Orlando, Florida. Subsequent to the discovery, her mother, Casey Anthony, was charged with murdering her — and her prosecution and murder trial sparked a media circus, culminating with an internationally televised six-week trial in 2011.
She was controversiallyacquitted, but it didn’t help the public perception of her: A Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman described her as “one of the most hated women in America” — a moniker that stuck. Today, Anthony keeps a low-profile and her family is fractured: Casey no longer speaks to her father.
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Dec. 25, 2016: Howard Poche Goes Missing
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Two days later, his body was discovered in a trash bin on the back porch of his Jeanerette, Louisiana, home. Jeffery Lee Marks, 23, was taken into custody in connection with the killing and is currently awaiting trial, an Iberia Parish County Clerk official tells PEOPLE. Police do not believe Marks knew Poche but sayhe had a connection with Poche’s housekeeper, theAcadiana Advocatereports.
08of 08Nov. 30, 2016: Dawnn Ward and Taylor Carroll Found SlainMartin County Sheriff’s OfficeOn Nov. 28, 2016, four days after Thanksgiving,Dawnn Ward, 40, and her 14-year-old daughterTaylor Carroll were reported missing after Taylor failed to show up to cheerleading practice. Two days later, their bodies were found dumped in a well, stabbed to death, authorities in Martin County, North Carolina, said.Ward’s estranged husband, Jeffrey Todd Ward, was arrested and charged with their murders. This September,Jeffrey Ward pleaded guilty to the murdersand was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole, local station WITN reports.
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Nov. 30, 2016: Dawnn Ward and Taylor Carroll Found Slain
Martin County Sheriff’s Office
On Nov. 28, 2016, four days after Thanksgiving,Dawnn Ward, 40, and her 14-year-old daughterTaylor Carroll were reported missing after Taylor failed to show up to cheerleading practice. Two days later, their bodies were found dumped in a well, stabbed to death, authorities in Martin County, North Carolina, said.
Ward’s estranged husband, Jeffrey Todd Ward, was arrested and charged with their murders. This September,Jeffrey Ward pleaded guilty to the murdersand was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole, local station WITN reports.
source: people.com
