The deadliest Christmas murders range from a gift carnage to a two-day shooting that left six dead

Since the holiday season is usually a time of fun, there’s also a fair amount of murder happening on or around Christmas.

From mass murders because some people owed cash to a two-day shooting that left six dead, the holidays have caused a number of gruesome attacks over the years.

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Here are some of the most horrifying attacks to occur during holiday festivals.

Daughter kills parents for rent

In Washington State in 2007, Michele Andersen and her boyfriend visited her family on Christmas Eve with shotguns instead of presents.

Her parents, Wayne and Judy, lived in a house in the country and Michelle lived on a caravan in the estate, according to Mirror.

Michele, 29, is said to have been furious at being asked to pay rent and her brother allegedly owed her money and decided to shoot her parents.

When her brother Scott, 32, and his wife, Erica, also 32, arrived with their two children later that day, the pair also shot them.

Police found the bodies of murdered family members on Gifting Day.

A two-day shooting competition

Four murderers carried out a two-day killing spree over the Christmas holiday in Dayton, Ohio, in 1992.

The massacre became known as the “Christmas murder.”

According to Crime & Investigation, the killers, Laura Taylor, DeMarcus Smith, Heather Matthews and Marvallous Keene, initially attempted to rob people, but subsequent attacks involved a fear of “snitches”.

The first victim, Joseph Wilkerson, was killed in his home on Christmas Eve. The quartet went on to kill 5 more people and injure 2 more.

Taylor, Smith and Matthews are serving life sentences for the murder, while Kenne was convicted of five murders and executed in July 2009.

Murder planned in terms of Star Wars

Two brothers from Great Britain, David and Roger Cooper, conspired to kill a woman with whom Roger was having an affair using Star Wars terminology such as the “complete Death Star”.

According to the Mirror, Roger was afraid Sameena Imam would tell his wife about the affair they were engaged in, so he and his brother plotted to kill her.

After about a month of exchanging coded messages, Sameena arrived at David’s house on Christmas Eve and was buried by a chloroform rag.

Her body was later found in the woods.

Two brothers were imprisoned for life, according to BBC.

The Fire of Christmas Eve and the Missing Children

On Christmas Eve 1945, a massive fire tore through the home of George and Jennie Sodder and their nine children in West Virginia.

Four of their children survived the fire, but the bodies of the remaining five were never found, according to Crime & Investigation.

There is some speculation that the mob that arrested children like George Sodder were vocal critics of Benito Mussolini and the fascist government in Italy.

The family never gave up hope that their child was still alive, even offering a cash reward, but the children were never found.

The case of JonBenét

Perhaps the most famous murder mystery of the Christmas season is the tragic death of JonBenét Ramsey in 1996.

The good girl was found dead on Christmas Day at her family’s home in Colorado.

Her father found her body in their basement, and a handwritten ransom note was also found in the home.

The death of a 6-year-old boy has sparked decades of speculation about who is responsible, as the case remains open to this day.

Initially, police believed her parents and brother were involved, but they were later verified by DNA testing.

John Bennett was hit in the head, broke his skull, and was strangled.

Man in Santa Suit Kills Ex’s Family

On Christmas Eve 2008, Bruce Pardo dressed as Santa Claus to a house in California where his ex-wife’s family was celebrating.

Pardo then opened fire, killing nine people. Then he set the house on fire.

His ex-wife, her parents, her two brothers and their wives, her sister and her nephew were all killed. Pardo shot himself dead the next day.

Christmas Ax Attack

In 2017, James Hutchinson pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant partner during a rampage while high on drugs.

He is said to have attacked Nicola Woodman at her home with a knife and ax on Christmas Day.

Hutchinson is said to be in a drug-induced coma and believes Nicola cheated on him.

She was a mother of two and was pregnant with his child at the time.

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