Background: Superior Court of Arizona for Maricopa County in Phoenix, Ariz. (Google Maps). Inset (left): Anthony Milan Ross (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). Inset (right): Iris Ross (center) and her two children, Nigel (left) and Anora (right) (GoFundMe).
An Arizona man who was once known as a celebrity chef is now a convicted murderer nearly eight years after killing his family on Christmas Day.
Anthony Milan Ross, 53, was found guilty by a jury on Monday of three counts of first-degree murder and 20 other charges in connection with the 2017 shooting deaths of his estranged wife, Iris Ross, and their two children, 11-year-old Nigel and 9-month-old Anora. According to prosecutors, Iris Ross filed for divorce from her husband six months prior to the Dec. 25, 2017, murders, and it apparently drove the local celebrity to violence.
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According to KPNX, a local NBC affiliate, Iris Ross was going to Anthony Ross’s apartment in Phoenix on Christmas Day to pick up her two children. Earlier in the day, the celebrity chef known for writing cookbooks and vegan recipes after a weight-loss journey posted a video on social media that featured him and Nigel singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and wishing family and friends a happy holiday.
Just hours later, witnesses saw Anthony Ross shoot his wife dead outside his apartment building and then rush back inside. As police arrived at the scene, Anthony Ross barricaded himself inside his apartment with the two children for several hours. Law enforcement eventually breached his apartment and found one of the children dead.
Anthony Ross then opened fire on the officers, injuring one of them, before he was finally taken into custody. After detaining him, officers found the other child, who was also shot dead.
Anthony Ross was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and 17 counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer. He was found guilty on all counts following a trial that began in September. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2026.
