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A Santa Barbara County man indicted for allegedly fatally stabbing his parents, children and pet dog to death in August could face the death penalty, prosecutors said.

Nicolas Holzer, 45, was indicted by the grand jury Tuesday on four counts of murder and one count of felony animal cruelty in the gruesome slaying of his family and their pet Aug. 11.

Holzer is also accused of special circumstances in the crime, specifically using a knife and multiple murders. Because of the special circumstances, Holzer is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not yet determined if they’ll seek it, said Assistant Dist. Atty. Hilary Dozer.

“It’s almost a solemn type of procedure. We take those types of decisions very seriously,” Dozer told the Los Angeles Times. “Any decision that is made to seek the death penalty is based upon as complete a picture as one can put together.”

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