When asked why he did it, Goleta area man, Nicolas Holzer, said, ” I had to,” after he was arrested on charges of slaughtering his family and dog with kitchen knives, thought to be the murder weapons,  late Monday night in southern California.

Up until this incident in Santa Barbara county, 45-year-old Holzer had a clean criminal history and authorities as yet have no motive in the killings of Hilzer’s parents, 73-year-old William Holzer, 74-year-old Sheila Holzer, and Holzer’s two sons, 13-year-old Sebastian and 10-year-old Vincent.

Holzer was arrested without incident when authorities responded to his parent’s home after Holzer called 9-1-1 to report what he had done. He met them at the door.

Holzer related to police that he killed his family because he believed it was his destiny. Detectives in the case are looking at Holzer’s mental health officials say.

Investigators believe that Holzer first stabbed to death his father in the family den, then killed his two sleeping sons in their beds, then killed his mother, who was found at the doorway to the bedroom. Sometime during the tragic incident, Holzer also killed the family dog.

Holzer was divorced from his wife in 2006 and had been living with his parents for the last seven years.

Holzer has been arrested and charged with four counts of Murder and is being held without bail at the Santa Barbara Jail. 

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