Los Angeles during the holidays is supposed to sparkle: movie premieres, palm trees wrapped in lights, and festive traditions with family and friends. Yet some of Tinsel Town’s most disturbing crimes and deaths are forever tethered to December and the holiday season. Most recently, the shocking killings of Rob and Michele Reiner have thrust the city back into a grim place, reminding us how even the most intimate, domestic spaces can become scenes of horror, even during the holiday season. While December does not account for the highest number of Los Angeles’ most infamous murders, the cases linked to the holidays are among the most haunting.

Honoree Rob Reiner poses with his wife Michele and children Nick, Romy and Jake at the 41st Annual Chaplin Award Gala at Avery Fisher Hall on Monday, April 28, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Michele, Rob, Jake, Romy and Nick Reiner before tragedy struck SundayCredit: Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

The Black Dahlia: Last Seen During the 1946 Holiday Season

Although aspiring actress Elizabeth Short’s body was discovered on January 15, 1947, investigators have long established that she was last seen alive in December 1946, in the days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s. Short vanished during the holiday period while drifting between reportedly cheap hotels, bars, and acquaintances in Los Angeles.

Her murder is one of the most brutal and meticulously staged in American history, and remains unsolved nearly 80 years later. Short’s body was found more than two weeks later in a vacant lot in the Leimert Park neighborhood, severed cleanly in half at the waist, drained of blood, and carefully posed. Her face had been grotesquely mutilated with a Glasgow smile carved from ear to ear, and her body had been washed, suggesting she was killed elsewhere and deliberately staged. The precision of the cuts led investigators to believe the killer had medical knowledge or surgical skill. The shocking discovery was made by a local woman walking with her young daughter, who initially mistook the remains for a discarded mannequin.

Covina Christmas Eve Massacre: December 24, 2008

On the night of December 24, 2008, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo arrived at a Christmas Eve family gathering in Covina, California, wearing a Santa Claus suit and carrying multiple firearms concealed beneath the costume. Pardo opened fire on relatives gathered at the home of his former in-laws before setting the house ablaze as terrified survivors fled.

Scroll to continue reading

Nine people were killed at the scene, ranging in age from 17 to 80, and several others were injured or narrowly escaped. Pardo fled the burning home and later took his own life at his brother’s residence nearby, where authorities found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators determined that the attack was fueled by a bitter divorce and ongoing domestic issues, including disputes over money. The blaze burned for hours, in part because responding firefighters were initially unable to approach the home due to the intensity of the flames and concerns about additional weapons or explosives.

Three people survived the Covina Christmas Eve massacre, though two were critically injured by gunfire and burns. The attack did not claim the lives of Pardo’s ex-wife, who was not present at the gathering, and Pardo did not have children. Instead, all nine victims were members of his ex-wife’s family, ranging in age from 17 to 80.

The Grim Sleeper: December Murders in South Los Angeles

Serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., known as the Grim Sleeper, murdered women across South Los Angeles for more than two decades, with several confirmed killings tied to December, though they were not initially recognized as part of a serial pattern. One such victim, Brenda Alexander, was found shot to death in an alley on December 24, 2002, her killing initially treated as an isolated crime before later being linked to Franklin. Another December victim, Irene Wilson, was killed in December 1988, part of an early cluster of murders that went unconnected for years.

Investigators later determined Franklin “exploited” the long gaps between killings, even remaining in isolation, which is how he was able to avoid getting caught for so long. Franklin was caught after investigators used familial DNA, which produced a partial match to his son in a law-enforcement database. Police then secretly collected Franklin’s discarded DNA (from items like pizza crusts etc.), confirmed a direct match to the murder evidence, and arrested him in 2010.

He was convicted in 2016 of 10 murders and died in prison in 2020, but Franklin may have sadly forever marred the holiday season for the families of his December victims.

The Los Angeles “Hollywood Ripper”

While the murder of Ashley Ellerin occurred in February 2001, the case is closely tied to December 2005, when prosecutors say serial killer Michael Gargiulo murdered Maria Bruno in El Monte, California. This ultimately helped secure his conviction.

Bruno, 32, was found stabbed to death inside her apartment on December 1, 2005, after failing to show up for work. Investigators determined she had been attacked shortly after returning home, suffering multiple stab wounds. Unlike Ellerin, Bruno had no known connection to Gargiulo, a fact prosecutors later used to argue that he was a predatory offender who targeted victims opportunistically rather than personally. Bruno’s killing became a critical part of the prosecution’s case.

Ellerin’s murder gained national attention in part because actor Ashton Kutcher was scheduled to take her on a date the night she was killed. Kutcher later testified that he went to Ellerin’s Hollywood home, saw what he believed was spilled red wine through a window, and left when she did not answer the door. His testimony was used by prosecutors to help establish the timeline of her death. Gargiulo was eventually convicted in 2019 of the murders of Ashley Ellerin and Maria Bruno, as well as the 2008 attempted murder of Michelle Murphy, who survived a stabbing attack in Santa Monica. He was sentenced to death in 2021, cementing the case as one of Los Angeles County’s most notorious serial killer prosecutions.

Brittany Murphy: A December Death That Still Raises Questions

While it may not be classified as a murder, another Hollywood tragedy permanently tied to December is the death of Brittany Murphy, who was found unresponsive in her Hollywood Hills home on December 20, 2009. The 32-year-old actress, best known for roles in Clueless, 8 Mile, and Girl, Interrupted, was pronounced dead after paramedics were unable to revive her. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Murphy’s death an accidental combination of pneumonia, iron-deficiency anemia, and multiple prescription medications, though the case has remained the subject of intense public scrutiny. Questions intensified after her husband, Simon Monjack, died under strikingly similar circumstances just five months later in the same home. There were reports of mold in the home, rumors that Murphy could have been poisoned, and that her health was neglected by her mother and husband. While no criminal charges were filed and officials have consistently rejected foul play, Murphy’s sudden death during the holiday season is one of Los Angeles’ most unsettling and debated celebrity losses, with new conspiracy theories still emerging.

Natalie Wood: A Hollywood Mystery That Spilled Into December

natalie wood bisexualNatalie Wood and Robert Wagner at a Paramount Ice Cream Party in 1956Credit: Photo by Earl Leaf/ Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Although Natalie Wood disappeared on the night of November 29, 1981, her body was recovered hours later off the coast of Catalina Island, and the case dominated national headlines throughout December as one of Hollywood’s most tragic mysteries. Wood drowned during a weekend yacht trip aboard the Splendour with her husband, Robert Wagner, co-star Christopher Walken, and the boat’s captain. There were conflicting accounts of what happened before she vanished, including reports of an argument with Wagner, inconsistent witness statements, and a perplexing 911 call by Wagner. All eyes were on Wood’s husband, Robert Wagner, as a possible suspect- to this day, he has denied all involvement in his wife’s drowning and has never been charged. Los Angeles County authorities reopened the investigation, and in 2018, Wood’s death certificate was amended to list the cause as “drowning and other undetermined factors.” More than forty years later, the case remains a haunting Hollywood mystery. Robert Wagner is now in his mid-90’s; even after being confronted by Wood’s sister Lana decades later at an event, he continues to remain tight-lipped.