Anthony Milan Ross, a 53-year-old Arizona chef once recognized for his vegan lifestyle advocacy, was convicted by a Maricopa County jury on November 3. He was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his estranged wife, Iris Ross, 38, and their two children, Nigel, 11, and Anora, 10 months old. The crimes took place on Christmas Day, 2017, at his Phoenix apartment.
Ross was also convicted on three counts of aggravated assault related to the killings and 17 counts of aggravated assault on police officers. According to court records, he exchanged gunfire with Phoenix police during a tense standoff that lasted several hours before his arrest.
Prosecutors told jurors that Anthony Milan Ross carefully planned the killings. They said he searched online for weapons, battery acid, and stories about family homicides. According to their argument, Ross was financially dependent on his estranged wife and feared losing the lifestyle he had built through her income. The prosecution claimed he told several people, “Expect something big on Christmas,” suggesting that he had made up his mind to act violently.
The murders took place just one day after Ross shared a lighthearted Instagram video featuring himself and his son Nigel singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” When police arrived at his Phoenix apartment, they found Iris Ross dead on the patio, and the two children shot inside the home. Officers soon came under fire from Ross, leading to an armed standoff before his eventual surrender.
At the trial, defense attorney Carrie Gallagher described Anthony Milan Ross as suffering from severe mental distress and insomnia during the time leading up to the killings. She claimed that his online activity reflected confusion rather than planning. Gallagher also pointed to signs of normalcy, noting that Ross had proposed to his girlfriend and adopted a dog shortly before Christmas. She told jurors that Ross had periods of no sleep and mental exhaustion, which she said could explain his erratic behavior.
Iris Ross’s sister, Mary Wogas, told reporters that the family had feared Ross for some time. She said that after the divorce, he became increasingly unstable and threatening. Wogas claimed that he once called Iris a “whore” and said he was working with a voodoo priest to cast a curse on her. According to Wogas, the situation had escalated so badly that Iris had tried to distance herself completely.
The case shocked the Phoenix community and drew national attention due to Ross’s earlier fame as a plant-based chef and motivational speaker. His public image of wellness and positivity sharply contrasted with the violent reality of the crime. Authorities from the Phoenix Police Department, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clerk of Superior Court have not released further comment since the verdict.
