• Atlanta Police Department
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    Atlanta mall murder, 2004

    Working as a mall Santa can test the patience of even Saint Nick. One of the grisliest Santa crimes of all time came in an Atlanta mall in the holiday season leading up to Christmas of 2004.

    A man named Elkin Clarke was hired to portray Claus in the mall, but his wicked temper got him in a ton of trouble when he started beating a 74 year old woman with a 2x4, claiming that she had stolen $145 worth of Hershey’s chocolates from him. Whatever the reason, the woman died in the hospital as a result of her injuries and Clarke was sentenced to life in prison.