Suspect Anthony Milan Ross
Phoenix, AZ — 45-year old Anthony Milan Ross has been charged with three counts of murder after killing his own family on Christmas day. It is said that he had shot dead his estranged wife, Iris Ross, 38, and their 11-year-old son, Nigel, and 10-month-old daughter, Anora.
The six-hour standoff was concluded when Ross stated that he killed the two children and exchanged gunfires with the officers. He was then caught unharmed while an officer was injured.
He was also charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and assault against a police officer.
The suspect, professionally known as Milan Ross, is a vegan chef that promotes a plant-based lifestyle and claims he lost 300 pounds after cutting out meat and dairy products.
He was also a motivational speaker and an author of two books where he shared his life. He was also previously featured in magazine covers and documentaries along with Samuel L. Jackson and James Cameron.
Hours before the shooting, Ross posted a video of him and Nigel, his son, happily singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” which is filmed the day before.
Earlier that afternoon, Iris’ sister Mary Wogas received a text from Ross. She recounted, “I received a text yesterday about 2:52 pm. Two messages, first one saying ‘I just killed Iris and the kids’. The second message was ‘with a gun’.
“I knew that man was very unstable. I knew he had a very, very dark side. I didn’t know it was this dark.”
It has been established by the police that Ross no longer resides in the area and was just visiting for the holidays. But court documents show that the apartment complex was listed as his residence.
The motive of the killings remains unclear and the police are investigating it as a domestic violence incident. Ross is due to appear in court on January 3.