Evil chef dad sentenced to ultimate punishment for slaughtering his family on Christmas Day hours after posting video of himself singing carol with his young son

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:02, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 00:29, 8 May 2026 An Arizona chef who posted a video of himself singing a carol on Christmas Day with his son hours before massacring his family was given a death sentence.  Anthony Milan Ross gunned down his estranged wife Iris, their son Nigel, 11, and their eight-month old daughter Anora on Christmas Day of 2017 in Phoenix.  Just hours before the rampage, Ross had shared a video of himself and his son singing 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' as they wished his followers a happy holiday.  Ross, a TV personality who appeared on Good Morning America, had split from his wife six months previously.  When she came to pick up the kids that night from his apartment, the two discussed their failed marriage in which she told him she would not take him back.  Investigators said that is when Ross opened fire on her as she tried to run away, he unloaded several rounds into her after she fell to the ground.  He returned to his apartment where he murdered his two children, before beginning a standoff with local police that lasted for six hours.  On Thursday a jury handed down a death sentence on three counts of first-degree murder after being found guilty last November of the killings.   Ross and his son Nigel are seen here in a video he shared to his Facebook just hours before killing his son His wife Iris, seen here with their two children, had arrived at his apartment in Phoenix to collect their kids when she told him she would never take him back, investigators said On Thursday a jury handed down a death sentence on three counts of first-degree murder after being found guilty last November of the killings Prosecutors said that his son put up his hand in an attempt to defend himself from his father.  After killing his two kids, Ross was seen returning to the parking lot and going through his ex wife's pants pockets. After being approached by two witnesses, they asked him if she was okay, to which he responded no and pointed a gun at them causing them to flee.  After several hours, officers made entry into the apartment where Ross fired multiple gunshots at them until he ran out of ammunition.  Prosecutors said during his trial that Ross was obsessed with being a celebrity and his world came crashing down after Iris filed for divorce.  According to prosecutors it was his ex-wife that had funded his minor celebrity lifestyle which also included him writing a book on his vegan lifestyle.  Prosecutors said that his son put up his hand in an attempt to defend himself from his father His lawyers insisted that he was depressed at the time and that the killings were not premeditated Defense attorneys insisted Ross was suffering from depression and paranoia at the time and the killings were not premeditated. Ross was found guilty of all charges, which included three counts of first-degree murder, two of aggravated assault, and 18 counts of aggravated assault.  He was given 18 years in prison for the aggravated assault charges on top of the death sentence.   In a statement, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said: 'This defendant was supposed to protect his family; instead, he made a deliberate choice to take their lives on Christmas Day when his wife wouldn’t take him back. 'Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of what he did, and he deserves the ultimate punishment.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.