A Goleta man was sentenced Friday to four life sentences for the killing of his family members in 2014.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office says along with the life sentences, Nicolas Holzer was also given a three-year sentence for the killing of the family’s dog and five years for the use of a knife for each murder.
In May, the 49-year-old was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty.
Following that, a five-week sanity trial took place. The Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled Holzer was sane on Aug. 11, 2014 when he stabbed and killed his parents, two children, and the family dog in their Goleta-area home.
The sanity phase of the trial was required because he had pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
