A man indicted by the grand jury for allegedly murdering his parents and two children in August appeared in Santa Barbara Superior Court on Tuesday, but his arraignment on the charges was postponed until December.
Nicolas Holzer, 45, was indicted earlier this month on four counts of murder.
Authorities say Holzer called 9-1-1 late on Aug. 11 to report that he had murdered his family in their home in the 600 block of Walnut Park Lane near Goleta.
Responding deputies found four bodies with multiple stab wounds, and the victims were identified as Holzer’s parents and two children: William Charles Holzer, 73, Sheila Garard Holzer, 74, Sebastian Holzer, 13, and Vincent Holzer, 10.
The family’s Australian shepherd, Dixie, also had been stabbed to death.
Holzer entered a not-guilty plea last month, and appeared before Judge Frank Ochoa Tuesday. The case was continued until Dec. 2, when it will be heard before Judge Brian Hill.
The indictment lists the same charges as the initial criminal complaint against Holzer, and was turned over to the defense on Monday.
Holzer’s attorney, Christine Voss, now has a turn to read the indictment transcript of the grand jury proceedings that were done in secret, and may order the transcript to be sealed so that it cannot be accessed by the public in the near future.
Prosecutor Ron Zonen told Noozhawk earlier this month that the grand jury indictment allows the trial to move forward at a faster pace because it eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing.
“We’re taking the prosecution very seriously,” he said.
If convicted, Holzer is facing the possibility of a life sentence for each count of murder without the possibility of parole.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
