Santa Barbara County, Ca. — At 11:03 p.m. on August 11th, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s 911 Emergency Dispatch received a call from Nicholas Etienne Holzer, a 45 year-old resident of the county’s unincorporated area between Goleta and the Santa Barbara city limits. In what SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover reported as “a calm and matter-of-fact manner”, Holzer informed the 911 operator that “he had killed his family, which included his parents, two sons, and the family dog.”
SBSD patrol units responded to the home immediately, and found Holzer standing at the front door and offering himself for surrender.
Inside the residence, deputies discovered a dead Australian Shepard, the bodies of Holzer’s 74-year old mother and father, and the bodies of his two young sons, 13 and 10, all of whom had suffered multiple mortal stab wounds. Deputies then discovered “two large kitchen knives that are believed to be the murder weapons.”
The ensuing interview of Holzer—who had no prior contact with law enforcement other than having had filed a witness statement in an unrelated assault case nearly 20 years ago–and ongoing investigation indicated that Holzer had won custody of his sons through a divorce proceeding nearly a decade ago and been living with his boys and his parents at the home for the past several years.
Investigating detectives were told by Holzer, Hoover reported, that “he had killed his family to fulfill what he believed was his destiny.” When inquiry was made as to any specific motive for the horrendous crime, “he claimed ‘I had to’”, said Hoover.
Hozer was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on four counts of murder and one count of animal cruelty. He remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
The Independent: Multiple Murder Victims Found in Home Near Goleta
edhat: Multiple Homicide in Goleta
KEYT: Father Accused of Killing Sons, Parents in Mass Murder
