The Most Disturbing Holiday Crimes Of All Time

The holiday season is supposed to be a time to celebrate and spend time with our families. What it's not meant to be is a time of fear and terror. Unfortunately, some people don't care for the festive season and instead want to use it as a time to wreak havoc in other people's lives.

The most disturbing holiday crimes of all time have forever tainted Christmas for families everywhere, especially those who have lost someone around this time. It just goes to show why the emergency services don't get a day off in the year, as they are often needed more than ever.

The Ortega family all lost their lives to someone dressed as Santa Claus

There are plenty of horror Christmas stories that see Santa Claus come in and cause havoc for families, but they're all things in the movies, right? Well, not always. The Ortega family was enjoying dinner together on Christmas Eve in 2008 when Bruce Pardo turned up. He was Sylvia Ortega's husband, but he wasn't there to talk, as Bruce was covered with weapons and started open firing into the house. The twist? He was dressed as Santa at the time. As soon as Bruce was out of ammo, he took out a homemade flamethrower and torched the entire house, ensuring it - and all nine members of the family - were burned to the ground. 

JonBenét Ramsey's passing remains unsolved to date

There are unsolved crimes, and then there's JonBenét Ramsey. She might be one of the most unusual crimes of all time, as six-year-old child pageant star JonBenét was reported missing before her body was discovered by her father in the family's basement several hours later. They claimed there was a ransom note asking for $118,000, but it was proven to be written from stationary inside the house. JonBenét had a skull fracture and had been strangled before she lost her life, with several pointing the finger of blame at her parents. Although they were declared innocent, many still believe they were the real criminals. No one has ever been charged with the ending of JonBenét's life, and the 1996 crime remains unsolved.

Alexis Valdez turned on his aunt's boyfriend when he was asked to move out

Finding a house as a student can be pretty tough, but 18-year-old Alexis Valdez managed to find a situation that was almost too good to be true. All he had to do was stay in school and maintain his job, and his aunt, Silvestre Diaz-Hernandez, and her boyfriend would allow the teen to live in their apartment. The problems started when Alexis dropped out of school and quit his job, meaning he no longer held onto his side of the bargain. Although they asked him to leave, things took a turn as Alexis started to attack his aunt's boyfriend in a violent rage. Ending his life wasn't enough, as Alexis continued to remove all of his limbs, decapitate his head, and mutilate his face before placing it in bed as a gift for his aunt. He might have confessed to the crime as soon as the police arrived, but Alexis chillingly admitted he would have ended his aunt's life, too, if she had been home. 

The entire Lawson family had their lives ended by their dad

Charlie Lawson had somehow found extra money on December 25, 1929, despite the fact the US was just entering the Great Depression. The sharecropper decided to take his wife and their seven children to buy new clothes and enjoy family photos before heading home for dinner. It was only then that things took a turn. Charlie took his weapon and started by ending two of his daughters' lives before turning on his wife, their eldest daughter, two of their sons, and finally, their infant daughter. Once he was through, Charlie took himself to the woods and took his own life. Strangely, Charlie told his oldest son to run an errand before he started the attack, with no one entirely sure why he turned on his entire family - or spared one of his son's lives.

The most disturbing holiday crimes of all time are certainly just that, with the festive season really proving to be the most magical - and the most terrifying time of the year for many.