Bad Santas: The 12 Worst, Real-Life, Shopping Mall Santas

0:00 Warning, Kind of Murdery contains adult themes, explicit language, and descriptions of violence. It is not suitable for anyone, and we recommend you stop listening. Now. True crime with a dash of the paranormal, the garish, the strange, in the darkly comic. I'm zevn Odelberg, host of kind of Murdery, a podcast that's about more than just murder. It's my very own pocket dimension, home to a curated collection of bizarre and compelling stories, the unsolved, the unsettling, and the unbelievable. I cover it all just so long as it's kind of Murdery.

0:43 A big holiday hello to all of you out there. Just like it says in the intro, I am zevn Odelberg, and this is kind of Murdery. Today. We're going to delve into a world where the line between humor and horror blurs, and the iconic figure of jolly old Saint Nick sometimes takes on a more sinister and other times a more hilarious. Hugh picture. This the holiday season, a time of twinkling lights and merry songs, where children's laughter rings through festively decorated malls. Here Santa Claus sits enthroned a symbol of joy and generosity, but not all Santa's embody the spirit of the season.

1:21 In this episode, we expose the underbelly of this festive tradition, where some who don the red suit are far from the benevolent figures we expect. Some of the kind of murdery Santas you'll be meeting in this episode include gropie Clause, drunkie Clause, the crazy cringle of Woodland Hills, and a couple that I didn't give a cute nickname to and I'm just calling a horrific betrayal of trust. Yes, I'm warning you now. Unfortunately, tragically, not all of these bad Santa's stories are as funny as the movie starring Billy Bob Thornton.

1:52 So as we proceed through this list, alternating between the light hearted and the gravely serious, I invite you to witness the full spectrum of these real life Santa stories. Each tale is a reminder that even in the most joyous of seasons, reality can take an unexpected turn. Stay tuned as we continue to unravel the mysteries behind these Santas. Some who've stumbled humorously off the path and others who've veered disturbingly into the shadows, lurching into the horrible embrace of human moral corruption.

2:27 I'd like to quickly note that, although this is a quote top twelve or bottom twelve list, if you will, I'm not presenting these Santas in an actual ranked order. Otherwise I'd be telling you about all the hard to take ones right in a row at the end of the episode, and I don't think that's the best way to tell a story. So thank you for trusting me on that. And now please do join me as we uncover what truths we can and solve what mysteries we may kind of murderies. Bad Santas. The twelve worst real life sh shopping Mall Santa's starts now.

3:09 Our first injury on the Bad Santa's List is number twelve, Gropie Clause Hanover, Massachusetts, twenty thirteen. In the bustling Hanover Mall, amidst the laughter of children, the snapping of festive photos, a shadow falls over the holiday spirit. It's ten years ago, twenty thirteen, and Herbert Jones, a sixty two year old man donning the iconic red suit and white beard of Santa Claus stands accused of a crime that doesn't exactly fit in the spirit of the holiday season. This particular Santa, a figure expected to embody, warmth and safety, allegedly crossed a line that no Santa should ever cross.

3:51 An eighteen year old girl, dressed as an elf and working alongside him in the festive photo booth, becomes the center of a disturbing incident. Her job to spread holiday cheer turns into a nightmare when she accuses Jones of groping her and uttering crude comments, a stark contrast to the joyous role he was supposed to play. The police are called, and the allegations are serious indecent assault and battery. Jones, steadfast in his denial, pleads not guilty, but finds himself entangled in the consequences of his alleged actions.

4:21 Released on a one thousand dollars bond, he faces a band from the Hanover Mall, his role as Santa indefinitely suspended as the legal proceedings unfold. Number eleven, The Toxic Hockey Santa of Toronto. It's eleven years ago, now twenty twelve. In a Toronto mall, a place usually brimming with holiday cheer and excited children eagerly awaiting their turn to meet Santa Claus. But for one little boy, his encounter with Santa is anything but Mary. Dressed in a shirt supporting his favorite hockey team, the Maple Leafs, he steps up to meet Santa, unaware of the shocking comment that awaits him.

4:57 This Santa, rather than offering a jolly greeting or a hearty hope oh oh, delivers a harsh critique of the boy's beloved hockey team. Oh you're wearing a Toronto Maple Leaf shirt. You shouldn't be wearing that. They suck, he remarks bluntly. The words, striking a cold blast of winter air, leave the young fan in tears. His excitement turned to distress. The incident quickly spirals, resulting in the Santa being fired from his post. This story serves as a somber reminder of the impact words can have, especially when spoken by someone children look up to with such anticipation and joy.

5:31 A Santa's role is to bring happiness and magic to the holiday season, not tears and disappointment. This Santa's strong hockey opinions, perhaps meant in jest, ended up costing him his role and leaving a lasting sad memory for a young hockey fan who, after all, was only rooting for his hometown team. Geez, Santa number ten, not so much Father Christmas as Father Seriously, Man, what the actual F word? Norcut's Garden Center. At the Norcott's Garden Center in the UK in twenty twelve, a family's festive outing turns into a bewildering and distressing experience.

6:07 Wendy and Steve Kennant, along with their three young children, approach them all Santa, expecting the usual cheerful exchange. What follows, however, is anything but ordinary. The children, sharing with Santa that they've been good this year, are met with a grim response. This Santa, rather than affirming their good behavior with promises of gifts, chooses to delve into the dark realities of the world. He speaks of quote bad people unquote and quote bad things happening unquote, alluding to the heart wrenching tragedy of the Sandy Hook School shooting massacre.

6:40 The reference, heavy and completely out of place, confuses and frightens the children, but the unsettling encounter doesn't end there. In a bizarre turn, Santa requests the two little girls to leave so he can speak privately with their brother. Alone with the boy, he whispers a crushing revelation. And now in case you're listening to kind of murdery with your children, which you probably shouldn't be, but just in case you are. Spoiler alert, spoiler alert skip ahead, for this was the crushing revelation.

7:10 Santa told the little boy that Santa Claus isn't real. The boy unsurprisingly runs away in tears, his belief in the magic of Christmas shattered. The Kennon family, shaken by this encounter, receives a refund, and the mall Santa is promptly dismissed from his role, or, as they say in England, sacked number nine drunkey clause a Canadian mall twenty eleven. In twenty eleven, a shocking incident occurred in a mall in Canada, one that would tarnish the image of the beloved Santa Claus. This mall, Santa, tasked with spreading joy and cheer to the children, arrived at work in a state completely unbecoming of his role.

7:49 He was blatantly drunk off his holly jolly ass Santa's arrival was marked not by the usual married jingles, but a disconcerting display of stumbling and slurred speech. His attempts at ho ho hoes were less expressions of festive joy and more signs of his inebriation, causing parents excitement to turn to concern. A Kiosk worker nearby revealed a troubling truth. This was not the first time that this mal Santa had shown up intoxicated. Despite the visible signs of his condition, it would seem that hesitation and disbelief or hope that he would clean up his act with the holiday in bibing, had prevented earlier intervention.

8:29 This time, however, the situation couldn't be ignored. Security was called and action was swiftly taken. Before drunken Clause could interact with any children, he was removed and replaced, But the story doesn't end there, because once outside the mall, he was arrested for public intoxication. Number eight Scrooge Clause of the UK shopping center twenty fourteen. The year twenty fourteen brought a disheartening tale from a shopping center in the UK, where a girl's anticipation for a magical Christmas moment was dashed by a callous remark from Santa himself.

9:01 Nine year old Sophie Robinson, filled with the typical excitement of a child meeting Santa, encountered a response from the jolly old Elf that was anything but typical this mall, Santa, instead of welcoming Sophie with open arms, coldly told her that she was too old to visit, and that she shouldn't have come at all. How in the world is a nine year old too old to visit Santa? It begs belief. These harsh words from Father Christmas, so out of place in the season of joy and giving, left Sophie in tears.

9:31 Her festive spirit crushed. The shopping center's initial attempt to smooth over the incident, offering Sophie's mother a twenty pound gift card, was out of step with the emotional toll the encounter took on the young girl. However, as word of this unkind Santa's behavior spread, a wave of support followed. Sophie was invited back for a redo, and this time promised a Santa experience filled with the Christmas magic she deserved. The shopping center also issued an official apology, recognizing the need to restore the joy and wonder that Santa is meant to represent.

10:02 This story serves as a poignant reminder that the spirit of Christmas extends beyond age, and that every child deserves to experience the magic and warmth of the holiday season without judgment or scorn. I'd like to think that this holiday grace extends even to a manchild like yours. Truly. All Right, these next two I'm going to group together. These are numbers seven and six, and I'm gonna blast through them a little bit because they are awful, and I'm just calling them a horrific betrayal of trust.

10:34 Numbers one and two. In the midst of the festive season of twenty fifteen, Rally North Carolina witnessed a chilling scandal that shook the community. Leander Dewey Jones, a sixty three year old mal Santa, was at the heart of this disquieting, to say the least event known for bringing joy and laughter as Santa, his true nature was sinisterly masked behind the jovial red suit. I imagine you guys know where this is going, and it is just gross. The alarming truth surfaced unexpectedly. Jones had taken his computer for repairs, a seemingly mundane act that led to a horrifying revelation.

11:13 The repair technicians discovered something utterly appalling on his device, images of child pornography depicting children younger than ten. Oh god. This shocking discovery led to his immediate arrest, unveiling a disturbing side of a man trusted to be the symbol of innocence and joy. Jones' involvement with the Rally Triangle Santa Buddies and organization dedicated to spreading Christmas cheer, cast a shadow over its noble intentions. His role as a children's entertainer, often appearing as a pirate or a magician at kid's birthday parties, adds a twisted irony to the narrative.

11:51 Police even found a small pen camera hidden in his bathroom. Holy hell, this guy is the worst mall Santa ever. If this was truly a worst ranking, he would obviously be number one. Let's move on to the next extra terrible mal Santa, and then we'll get back to the ones that are perhaps a little more entertaining. Number six. A horrible Betrayal of Trust, Part two, Quebec, Canada, twenty thirteen, seventy eight year old former mal Santa Lawrence Doris awaited trial for six child sexual assault charges.

12:26 He had previously worked at the lay Promenada's Day something I can't pronounce at all Lataois maybe in Quebec and was facing charges for the sexual assault of five victims aged nine to fifteen, Oh God, between twenty twelve and twenty thirteen. One of those charges was related to a claim that Doris had even touched a child inappropriately while they were sitting on his lap in Santa's chair in the mall. Police, however, claimed his pedophile activities were not related to his occupation as a mall Santa.

12:58 Doris was released on bail while awaiting trial. All Right, number five, the Crazy Chris Kringle of Woodland Hills, California, nineteen ninety nine. The Woodland Hills shopping mall in California back in nineteen ninety nine became the unlikely stage for a Santa Claus meltdown that would go down in local lore. This wasn't just an ordinary day in the festive season. It was the day Santa lost his cool in a most unforgettable manner. The incident involved Kelly Fornatorro, a new mom who had brought her nineteen month old son for the cherished Christmas ritual a photo with Santa.

13:34 However, this Santa was far from the embodiment of holiday spirit. When the baby began to cry, as babies often do, this Santa snapped. His reaction was not one of comfort or patients, but of anger and accusation. His words to Fornaturo were cutting and cruel. He said, was it worth it? Was it worth it for you to torture your child for a picture? You must be an evil person unquote. Such harsh judgment, coming from a figure meant to symbol kindness and goodwill, left onlookers in shock. As the situation escalated, furna Torro's threat to report him seemed to trigger a bizarre defense.

14:08 He claimed to be the real Santa Claus be quote best person in the world unquote, before proceeding to rip off his costume and beard in a dramatic outburst. Security had to intervene, escorting the irate Santa away as bewildered shoppers gopped at the spectacle. This Santa's identity remained a mystery, as both the mall and his employing company chose not to release his name. The incident, however, left a stain on the holiday experience at Woodland Hills, turning a moment of expected joy into a tale of an explosive clause, A crazy Chris Kringle, if you will, whose meltdown became a legendary story of how even Santa can have a very bad day.

14:48 Number four Remember the context clause. The partisan Santa of Seminal Town Center, Florida. In twenty sixteen, the Seminole Town Center in Sandford, Florida, became the backdrop for a politically charged incident involving an unconventional mall Santa. This Santa, whose identity remained undisclosed, veered off the traditional path of jolliness and neutrality, waiting into political commentary in an unexpected setting. During a routine Santa visit, a little girl perched on Santa's lap was told she was on his nice list.

15:20 However, the conversation took a surprising turn when Santa posed a question about his knotty list. He asked the little girl, do you know who's on my naughty list? Little girl? Oh, a girl innocent and curious, admitted that she didn't know who might be on it. Santa's response, well, Hillary Clinton. Of course, the offhand political comment, though perhaps meant in jest, was not received lightly. The girl's mother, concerned about the inappropriate nature of the remark, lodged a complaint. The mall's response was swift.

15:50 The Santa was replaced and sent to human resources for counseling. An apology was also extended to the mother. This incident highlights the imports of maintaining a neutral and welcoming environment in settings meant for children and families. Santa, a symbol of universal joy and cheer, found himself at the center of a controversy for bringing partisan politics into a place where the magic of the season should have been the only focus. That said, I think Santo would be hard pressed to find a politician, any politician, yes, Hilary Clinton included, who didn't belong on the naughty List.

16:26 Number three the exclusionary clause of Orange County, California, twenty fourteen. Exclusionary clause sounds like something in an employment contract, but we're going to go with it. The holiday season of twenty fourteen, at an Orange County mall in California, witnessed a disheartening episode, one that deviated starkly from the spirit of inclusivity and from the spirit of holiday joy. A seven year old autistic girl Abcde Santos pronounced Bob Sudy. Okay, Now, I would never mind a mentally divergent child, but I just have to point out that, factually, not mockingly, Yes, you heard that correctly, the girl's name, which is Obsidy, is spelled Abcde as in the first five letters of the alphabet in a row, which is unexpected.

17:21 Anyhow, back to the story, a seven year old autistic girl named Obsidy Santo's faced an unexpected and hurtful rejection from the mall Santa, a figure meant to embody kindness and acceptance. Obsidy, accompanied by her loyal service dog, a pit bull named Pupcake, had waited patiently in line for thirty minutes, anticipating a joyful encounter with Santa Claus, but instead of a warm welcome, they were met with cold dismissal. The Santa cited an allergy to dogs as the reason for turning them away.

17:50 The family's explanation that Pupcake was a service dog and legally allowed to be there, did not sway this Santa Claus, who remained adamant in his refusal, and it sparked immediate action from the mall. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, they replaced the Santa and issued an official apology on their Facebook page. In a bid directify the distress cause the shop's admission, Viejo extended an invitation for obside for a special Santa experience, hoping to salvage the joy of the season for the young girl who had left in tears.

18:19 Number two the Sour Santa of South Portland, Maine, twenty twelve. The holiday season of twenty twelve in South Portland, Maine was soured by a mall Santa whose demeanor was anything but merry. Parents and children who visited this Santa were expecting warmth and joy, but were instead met with rudeness and grumpiness. This Santa's lack of holiday spirit was startlingly apparent. He refused to let children sit on his lap and even scoffed at their wishes. One particular incident encapsulates his unsuitability for the role.

18:51 A child's request for an American Girl doll was met with derision, as Santa told her she'd get a quote American football unquote Instead. These interactions, far from the comforting and jolly nature of Santa Claus, led to a wave of discontent among the parents and children. Their shared experiences on social media caught the attention of the news, amplifying the call for action. Facing a growing backlash, the mall management decided to relieve the Grumpy Clause of his duties, replacing him with someone who could better embody the spirit of Christmas.

19:22 And we've made it to number one combative clause of the UK, otherwise known as Fighting Santa Rush. In a shocking turn of events, a mall Santa in the UK named Gary Rush found himself in a personal feud during his Santa duty. The confrontation began when Rush's former father in law, Eugene Henning, entered the mall. Rather than maintaining his composure as Santa Rush let personal grievances take over. Gary Rush demanded that Henning leave the mall and it escalated into a physical altercation, shocking the families and children waiting in line.

19:57 The image of Santa usually associated with kindness peace, was shattered as Rush attacked Innning in a fit of anger, so Santa in a rage, chucks the kid off his lap, jumps out of his chair and goes and starts beating the crap out of his former father in law in front of everyone during the holidays. That is pretty epic and that is number one Rajah Hollick fighting clause from the UK. Hey, everyone, I just wanted to say thank you so much for listening to kind of Murdery every Thursday and Sunday as you do, and supporting the show this year.

20:29 I really appreciate all of you. Because Sunday is actual Christmas Eve and I have family in town, it will probably be a kind of Murdery classic episode. So I wanted to take this moment just to say thank you. Thank you so much for listening, for supporting me, for helping to bring fulfillment and meaning to my daily endeavors. I really do appreciate you all. Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, and I do also want to take a moment to remind you, in case you're having a hard time this holiday, of the free three digit lifeline number nine to eight that you can call anytime twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

21:04 It's free to receive immediate counseling for substance use, mental health, or suicidal thoughts. So if you find yourself in a dark place, please do remember nine to eight eight, and please do remember that you are loved and the world is a better place with you in it. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed bad Santas, I hope you're on the nice list, and I hope there's a good Santa in your life. I'm Zevan Odelberg and this has been kind of Murdery. If you like the show, he subscribe, review and tell your friends.

21:36 You can find us on social media at Kindamurdery or email at Kindomurdery at gmail dot com.