A Santa Rosa man is accused of stabbing his father more than 50 times with at least four kitchen knives during an early Monday attack, police said Tuesday.
An autopsy performed Monday revealed wounds across Mark Herczog's arms, chest and head that ranged from shallow cuts to significant stabbings, Santa Rosa police officials said.
The wounds were so numerous the medical examiner wasn't able to immediately pinpoint a fatal blow to the 63-year-old father, Sgt. Steve Fraga said.
Prosecutors Wednesday were scheduled to charge Herczog's son, Houston Herczog, 21, with murder.
New details released Tuesday showed that the younger Herczog allegedly attacked his father after returning home at about 1 a.m. from an all-hours fitness club, Fraga said.
His younger sister heard the attack and called 911 at 1:26 a.m., police said.
Officers who arrived at the Parkhurst Drive home in east Santa Rosa couldn't see Houston Herczog but heard him moving around in the kitchen, Fraga said.
"They ordered him out, and he came out," Fraga said.
The young man had blood on both hands, he said.
Officers found the elder Herczog's body in the kitchen surrounded by amount of blood and broken items, Fraga said.
Police were told Houston Herczog was known to have violent outbursts, suffered from depression and had recently stolen prescription medications.
A mental health advocate who met with Herczog's family after the attack said they had become increasingly worried about Houston Herczog who appeared to be suffering from mental health episodes.
Houston Herczog cooperated with detectives and was aware of what happened when he was arrested, Fraga said. He submitted a blood sample for a toxicology test, he said. The results weren't available Tuesday.
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