A 21-year-old Santa Rosa man killed his father early Monday, stabbing him at least 10 times using as many as four kitchen knives, police said.
Family members said they believe Houston Herczog was suffering from a mental illness when a violent encounter occurred between him and his father, Mark Herczog, 63.
Loud noises awakened Savannah Herczog, 17, and drew her to the encounter between the two in the kitchen of the Parkhurst Drive home in east Santa Rosa. The Santa Rosa High School senior called 911 at 1:26 a.m. to report her father was being stabbed by her brother.
The teen met arriving officers in front of the house, and officers arrested Houston Herczog without incident inside the home. police said.
Sgt. Steve Fraga said detectives were investigating the circumstances and motive surrounding the slaying and learned from family members about violent outbursts by Houston Herczog. He recently stole prescription medicines and suffered from depression, police said.
A blood sample was taken from him to test if he was under the influence of any substance. Alcohol didn't appear to be a factor, Fraga said.
A local advocate for mental health services, speaking for the family Monday, said Houston Herczog suffered from mental illness, and family members believe it contributed to the attack.
"Over this past year, he has been under the care of a physician and exhibiting behavior that was becoming of greater and greater concern to his family," said Rosemary Milbrath, executive director of the Sonoma County Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
"He was steadily deteriorating. It was markedly worse over the last few months," Milbrath said, noting signs of violence.
Milbrath, who said she'd known Mark Herczog for many years, said she met Monday with Marilyn Herczog, the victim's ex-wife and suspect's mother, and her daughter, Savannah.
They told her a doctor had warned them they should consider calling police when outbursts occurred, Milbrath said.
"The family just didn't know what to do," she said.
"Mark was afraid if he called the police there might be an officer-involved shooting. A tragic outcome," she said.
After his arrest, Houston Herczog was treated for minor injuries to one hand, which could have occurred during the assault, Fraga said.
He said it didn't appear the father had inflicted any injuries on his son.
Mark Herczog's stab wounds were mostly to his torso and head, but he also had arm wounds, and it appeared he had tried to protect himself, police said.
Parkhurst Drive is in an older Rincon Valley subdivision near Calistoga Road.
On Monday, yellow police tape roped off the front of the home. Several police vehicles, including the city's large mobile crime scene lab, sat out front as technicians and detectives processed evidence.
Next door, a saddened Joann MacCallum echoed the feelings of others on the block.
"It's super shocking," MacCallum said.
She said she'd heard an argument at the Herczog home at about 9 p.m. Sunday but nothing after that, despite having been up much of the night with a sick cat.
"They were really a beautiful family," MacCallum said.
The father and son were both electric-guitar players and had a band, she said.
"They played in the garage all the time. They'd leave the garage door open and play," MacCallum said. "They were really good."
"The boy was so nice and polite. The dad was really a stand-up guy," she said, recalling that he'd offered to restring a guitar for them.
Houston Herczog grew up attending Santa Rosa schools: Santa Rosa Charter, Santa Rosa Middle and Santa Rosa High, from which he graduated in 2009. He was attending Santa Rosa Junior College, friends said.
Grace Kirk said she has known the younger Herczog since kindergarten and their friendship continued into high school.
"He was always super sweet. He was just a normal kid," Kirk said, adding the father "was one of the nicest men I've ever met."
Milbrath called Mark Herczog "a wonderful man, a loving, kind man. He had been in the recovery movement for many years, clean and sober over 30 years. He was a talented musician. He had so many friends and he was a peacemaker."
"We all feel tremendous empathy for this family," Milbrath said. "It's just a horrible situation for them."
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