California man indicted for fatal stabbing of parents, sons, dog

[October 15, 2014]  (Reuters) - A California man was indicted for fatally stabbing his parents, his two young sons and the family's dog, authorities said on Tuesday, in killings the man said were his "destiny".

A grand jury charged Nicolas Holzer with four counts of murder and one felony animal cruelty count for the killings, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

The victims were Holzer's parents, William Holzer, 73, and Sheila Holzer, 74, and his two sons, 13-year-old Sebastian Holzer and 10-year-old Vincent Holzer.

Holzer called police the night of Aug. 11 and calmly told a dispatcher he had killed his family, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said then.

"Holzer subsequently told detectives he had killed his family to fulfill what he believed was his destiny," she said.

He was taken into custody without incident. Officers then found the four victims and an Australian Shepherd-type dog, all deceased with multiple stab wounds, inside the home in Goleta, a coastal community of about 30,000 residents some 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Santa Barbara.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 28, the district attorney's office said.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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