Nicolas Etienne Holzer, who is accused of killing his two sons and his parents in the home they shared near Goleta, will appear in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Tuesday for arraignment on four murder charges.
Holzer, 45, allegedly called 9-1-1 the night of Aug. 11 after killing his parents and his two sons.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the house in the 600 block of Walnut Park Lane, and found the bodies of William Charles Holzer, 73, Sheila Garard Holzer, 74, Sebastian Holzer, 13, and Vincent Holzer, 10, all with multiple stab wounds.
The family’s Australian shepherd, Dixie, had also been stabbed to death.
The community has been reeling from the losses, and the Santa Barbara Unified and Goleta Union school districts held a public memorial for the two boys during the first week of school.
Sebastian, a student at La Colina Junior High, and Vincent, a student at Foothill School, were both remembered fondly by classmates, teachers and neighbors.
Holzer first appeared in Superior Court on Aug. 13, two days after the murders.
His arraignment was continued while attorneys on both sides gathered more information. He is facing four murder counts and a count of animal cruelty.
Deputy Public Defender Christine Voss, who is representing Holzer, said her client has been in a safety cell since being arrested, and needed a psychiatric evaluation.
District Attorney Joyce Dudley said her office hasn’t decided whether to pursue the death penalty in this case, but Holzer is facing the possibility of a life sentence without the possibility of parole for each count of murder.
Holzer is to appear at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Thomas Adams for his arraignment.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.