The quaint city of Grapevine is called the Christmas Capital of Texas – a spot that’s reworked annually right into a festive winter wonderland identified for its vacation extravaganza.
A household had simply completed unwrapping presents on Christmas morning 2011 at a house within the Dallas suburb, when considered one of their very own, wearing a Santa Claus swimsuit, opened hearth in a brutal murder-suicide rampage.
Police arrived on the scene to seek out seven our bodies amongst scattered wrapping paper.
Aziz Yazdanpanah, 56, an Iranian-born father of two, had killed his estranged spouse, their two teenage youngsters, his spouse’s sister, his brother-in-law and his niece on the gathering.
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Simply minutes earlier, his niece, 22-year-old Sara Fatemeh Zarei, texted her boyfriend once they arrived on the house that morning.
“Soo we’re right here. We simply received right here and my uncle is right here too. Dressed as Santa. Superior,” she stated in a single textual content simply earlier than 11 a.m. She texted once more at 11:15 a.m., saying: “Now he needs to be all fatherly and win father of the 12 months.”
Inside 20 minutes, six members of the family had been fatally gunned down.
The person within the pink and white Santa swimsuit referred to as 911 to report the murders – after which turned the gun on himself.
A Christmas morning bloodbath
Police arrived on the horrific scene on the Lincoln-Vineyards Residences three minutes after Yazdanpanah made the 911 name.
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Grapevine police Sgt. Robert Eberling stated police kicked within the door and located seven our bodies among the many opened presents and scattered wrapping paper in the lounge.
A tv was on and one of many victims was sporting pajamas, in accordance with stories on the time.
Yazdanpanah had shot and killed his estranged spouse, Fatemeh Rahmati, 55, their 14-year-old son, Ali, and their 19-year-old daughter, Nona.
He additionally killed his spouse’s sister, Zohreh Rahmaty, 58, her husband, Mohamad Hossein Zarei, 59, and their daughter, Sahra, 22.
Yazdanpanah’s spouse was shot as soon as within the head and his brother-in-law was shot a number of instances within the head, chest and abdomen, a medical expert’s report later revealed. His son, daughter, niece and sister-in-law had been shot a number of instances within the head.
Two handguns had been discovered on the scene: a 9 mm that was bought in 1996 and registered to Yazdanpanah, and a .40 caliber, police stated.
“I’ve been with this police division for 12 years, and that is most likely one of the crucial tragic issues that I’ve definitely been concerned with,” Eberling stated.
Santa shooter tried to be ‘all fatherly’
One of many victims texted her boyfriend about her uncle simply minutes earlier than she and her household had been gunned down on the house the place his spouse and kids had been staying.
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Sahra Fatemeh Zarei seemed to be irritated that her uncle was on the gathering and that he was dressed as Santa Claus and attempting to “be all fatherly.”
“Now he needs to be all fatherly and win father of the 12 months as a result of he [messed] up earlier than,” her ultimate textual content stated, in accordance with police.
The hate amongst members of the family and the truth that Yazdanpanah was apparently advised he wasn’t welcome to the gathering could have been the ultimate breaking level, household pal Marc Beglari advised police, in accordance with data obtained by The Dallas Morning Information.
Beglari, who can also be from Iran, advised police that he spoke to Yazdanpanah on Christmas Eve, and that Yazdanpanah had advised him that “his sister-in-law had management over his spouse and kids and they might take heed to her when she referred to as him evil.”
However regardless of this, Yazdanpanah was planning to attend the Christmas morning gathering that was being hosted by his estranged spouse’s sister regardless of feeling unwelcome.
“They denied him his satisfaction,” Beglari stated. “They took his household away.”
‘I’m taking pictures folks’
A recording of a 911 name captured the chilling final phrases of the gunman who admitted to the dispatcher that he was taking pictures folks.
After slaughtering six folks, Yazdanpanah made the decision at 11:34 a.m. the place he was heard saying “assist” twice after which “I’m taking pictures folks,” adopted by heavy respiratory earlier than the road went useless and he shot himself.
Police consider that earlier than Yazdanpanah killed himself, he tried to stage the scene by putting one of many two weapons used within the hand of his slain brother-in-law, Mohamad Zarei.
However investigators decided that Zarei had been shot with each weapons and that Yazdanpanah was the one one to fireside the weapons. Eberling stated police consider he was “overwhelmed” and “determined to take his life as an alternative.”
Santa’s motive
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Eberling has stated that detectives consider Yazdanpanah’s marital and monetary troubles led him to kill his household, however have additionally stated his actual thought course of could by no means be identified.
Yazdanpanah was a former actual property skilled who was out of labor on the time of the killings. In 1996, he was positioned on three years’ probation after pleading responsible to at least one rely of subscribing to a false revenue tax return, in accordance with federal court docket data. He was fined $1,000 and required to pay $30,119 in restitution.
In August 2010, Yazdanpanah and his spouse filed collectively for chapter. Mashy Modjdehi, a pal of Yazdanpanah’s spouse, stated Yazdanpanah had at all times forbidden his spouse to work. However as soon as he was unemployed and their household’s monetary troubles intensified, he modified his thoughts.
Rahmati, who had a state cosmetology license, held down jobs at two spas as she continued to lift their youngsters, the pal stated.
In April 2011, simply months earlier than the taking pictures, Rahmati moved out of the household’s residence in Colleyville, and into the house complicated two miles away.
Yazdanpanah remained within the Colleyville residence, which was usually with out electrical energy as he continued to wrestle financially.
The bloodbath stays the deadliest crime within the historical past of Grapevine.
“We by no means actually have encountered a state of affairs with this many victims that had been shot and killed,” Eberling stated on the time. “That is the worst murder we’ve ever had.”
