Phoenix man gets death penalty for killing ex-wife, 2 kids on Christmas Day in 2017

A Phoenix man who killed his ex-wife and their two children on Christmas Day nine years ago was sentenced to death on Thursday.

Anthony Milan Ross, 54, shot his ex-wife, 11-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter on Dec. 25, 2017, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

He was taken into custody after a standoff and shootout with police.

Before he killed his family, Ross was known as a vegan lifestyle influencer under the name Milan Ross.

In November 2025, a jury found him guilty on three counts of first-degree murder and multiple aggravated assault counts.

During Thursday’s hearing, he received an 18-year sentence for aggravated assault on top of the death penalty for murder.

Why was Anthony Milan Ross sentenced to death?

Prosecutors said the violence started after Ross’ ex-wife, Iris, went to his apartment near 16th Street and Highland Avenue in central Phoenix to pick up their children, Anora and Nigel, for Christmas.

Ross shot her multiple times in the parking lot after she refused to take him back before going into his apartment and turning the gun on his kids.

When police responded to the scene, Ross threatened to kill his children if officers entered his apartment.

After several hours of negotiations, he started shooting, prosecutors said. Police then entered the apartment, and Ross kept firing until he ran out of ammunition.

“This defendant was supposed to protect his family; instead, he made a deliberate choice to take their lives on Christmas Day when his wife wouldn’t take him back,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release. “Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of what he did, and he deserves the ultimate punishment.”

Before Ross was sentenced, Arizona had 108 inmates on death row.

The state’s next execution is scheduled for May 20, when Leroy Dean McGill will be put to death for a 2002 murder.

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