A man accused of stabbing four family members to death in their Goleta home pleaded not guilty to murder in Santa Barbara Superior Court on Tuesday.
Nicolas Holzer, 45, was charged with four counts of murder after allegedly calling 9-1-1 late Aug. 11 to report that he had murdered his family.
When deputies arrived at the house in the 600 block of Walnut Park Lane a short time later, they discovered the bodies of Holzer’s parents and his two sons, all of whom had suffered multiple stab wounds.
The family’s Australian shepherd also had been stabbed to death.
The victims were identified as William Charles Holzer, 73, Sheila Garard Holzer, 74, Sebastian Holzer, 13, and Vincent Holzer, 10.
Holzer’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Christine Voss, entered the plea before Judge Thomas Adams Tuesday, and added that she reserved the right to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity later during the court process.
“When you enter an insanity plea, it’s something that both the attorney and the client need to jointly do,” Voss told reporters outside the courtroom, adding that further discussion would need to take place.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen briefed Holzer on Tuesday, asking if he understood that the soonest Holzer’s case could be brought to jury trial was January 10, 2015.
Holzer, who appeared in a jumpsuit and handcuffs, replied softly that he understood.
Holzer will appear again in court on Nov. 4 in order to set a date for a preliminary hearing in Judge Brian Hill’s courtroom.
The arraignment was continued last week after Voss filed for a disqualification and asked that Judge Jean Dandona be removed from the case. She didn’t give a reason for the decision.
— 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.
