A tight schedule in Santa Barbara County Superior Court has bumped a quadruple-murder case again, with trial now expected to start in late September.
Nicolas Holzer has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to four murder charges for allegedly killing his parents and his two sons at the family’s home near Goleta on Aug. 11, 2014.
Holzer was arrested after calling 9-1-1 to report he had murdered his family, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Responding deputies found the bodies of Holzer’s parents and two children, with stab wounds: William Charles Holzer, 73, Sheila Garard Holzer, 74, Sebastian Holzer, 13, and Vincent Holzer, 10.
The family dog was also found dead at the scene, according to authorities.
Holzer is represented by Public Defender Christine Voss, while retired prosecutor Ron Zonen is handling the case for the District Attorney’s Office.
Zonen said the case will be back for a readiness hearing at the end of August, and trial is scheduled to start in late September. He expects the trial to take four to six weeks.
Many of the felony cases ready for trial are in the same courtroom, Judge Brian Hill’s, and involve the same attorneys.
Voss, who represents Holzer, also represents defendant Hamidullah Sarwary in a felony rape case that is currently in a jury trial, and co-defendant Joshua James Taylor in an attempted-murder case that is next up for trial in Judge Brian Hill’s courtroom.
Taylor and Jose Guadalupe Gutierrez are facing trial in connection with a 2015 shooting in Isla Vista, which authorities allege was drug-related.
Taylor and Gutierrez went to the apartment of two UCSB students and a fight broke out in which the two residents were shot with a handgun, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Trial confirmation for that case is set for Aug. 15 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.