Mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution, is needed for a Santa Rosa man accused of stabbing his father to death during what has been described as a psychotic break, family members said Friday.
On the eve of Houston Herczog's competency trial this week, his aunt said the 21-year-old has become suicidal and remains unable to talk to his lawyer about the November attack on Mark Herczog, 63, who was stabbed more than 50 times.
Annette Keys, the victim's sister, said her nephew would be unable to get a fair trial in his current mental state. She hopes Judge Dana Simonds will send him to a state mental hospital following a non-jury competency trial starting today.
At some point, she suggested, Herczog could be well enough to answer to first-degree murder charges.
"Naturally, Houston needs to be tried and must face legal consequences, whether that be in jail or a mental institution," Keys wrote in an email. "But he needs to be properly evaluated and treated now."
So far, two court-appointed psychologists have determined Herczog is able to assist in his own defense. A third doctor who examined him in the jail questioned Herczog's competency.
Prosecutor Bob Waner said criminal proceedings would go forward if Simonds agrees Herczog is fit for trial. If not, he would receive treatment until his competency is deemed restored, Waner said.
He wouldn't discuss details of the case.
Meanwhile, Herczog's aunt said he has been deeply depressed and suicidal since the Nov. 21 stabbing in his father's Rincon Valley home. The confrontation happened after the son arrived home at 1 a.m. from an all-night gym, police said.
Now, Keys said, Herczog's mental condition is "precarious at best." He has received eight different medications in the past six months and is being housed in the mental ward, she said.
"He loved his dad, so he's been suicidal, anxious bordering on manic, at times panic stricken and fighting off intrusive thoughts," Keys said in the email.
She said he had been suffering from psychiatric problems for more than a year leading up to the slaying. His father, who was on disability and battling depression himself, was unable to assist his young adult son, she said.
He didn't want to call police to have him committed because he feared officers could resort to violence if they confronted Houston Herczog, she said.
"Stifled by his own depression, financial insecurity and with no legal recourse to have him committed, the worst possible outcome ensued," Keys said.
Houston Herczog deteriorated after a fall car crash left him with a concussion, she said. Then a "very stressful series of events" happened to cause a psychotic break, she said.
Keys said the family has not spoken publicly until now because they were grieving Mark Herczog's death and concerned about the well-being of Herczog's 17-year-old sister, Savannah. The sister has written the district attorney and asked for treatment for her brother, Keys said.
"He killed her dad, but she misses her brother," Keys said in a phone call.
Also, Keys said, the family is reaching out because they feel it is what Mark Herczog would have wanted them to do.
"We know he wants help for his son," Keys wrote. "That's all he ever wanted. And we just want his voice to be heard. He would not abandon Houston, and neither would we."
She continued: "Our family has become a victim of mental illness, and we've suffered enough from its devastating effects."
(You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.)
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story misquoted Annette Keys. She said her brother, Mark Herczog, didn't want to call police about son Houston Herczog's unusual behavior because the father feared officers would resort to violence. She did not say Mark Herczog feared his son could turn violent with officers.
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