The Texas man who allegedly dressed as Santa before killing six relatives on Christmas was jealous of his wife's success following their separation this year.
Aziz Yazdanpanah had been out of work for more than a decade when he murdered his wife, their two teenage children, his wife's sister, his brother-in-law, and his niece, before turning the gun on himself on Sunday, according to The Associated Press
A private burial was held Thursday for the victims of the massacre in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports
At a press conference later that day family friend Azar Shahbazi said that Yazdanpanah was jealous of his wife's success, the Associated Press reports.
The brother of Fatemeh Rahmati -- Yazdanpanah's estranged wife -- said he provided financial help to his sister and her children after she separated from Yazdanpanah in April. according to The Grapevine Courier.
Despite their separation, the couple appeared to be on relatively good terms. Rahmati's brother said Yazdanpanah had a key to his wife's new apartment and sometimes dropped in to visit the children, according to The Courier.
While Yazdanpanah languished out of work, his wife was the family's only breadwinner, and she relied on her brother for assistance. Their financial problems hit a new low last year when a bank foreclosed on the family's home in Colleyville, TV station WFAA says. With his sister and her children living without running water or electricity, Dr. Ali Rahmati intervened and paid for an apartment for them, the station said.
Yazdanpanah showed up at their new apartment Christmas Day. According to a text message sent by his niece before the massacre, he was "all fatherly."
After allegedly murdering his relatives, Yazdanpanah planted a gun on his dead brother-in-law to make it appear there had been another shooter, police told The Grapevine Courier.