A California man stabbed his parents, his sons and his dog to death on Monday, The Associated Press reports.

45-year-old Nicolas Etienne Holzer called 9-1-1 on Monday night to tell police that he had murdered his entire family. When authorities arrived at the scene, Holzer was arrested without incident.

Authorities located the bodies of the man’s parents, sons and dog. All of the victims were determined to be deceased. Each of them appeared to have been repeatedly stabbed. Two large kitchen knives were recovered at the scene are believed to be the murder weapons.

According to a statement from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Holzer later told detectives that he had killed his family to fulfill his destiny. “I had to,” he said after being asked why he committed these crimes.

Holzer does not appear to have any criminal history and there have not been any 9-1-1 calls at the residence in the past several years, the sheriff’s office notes.

Holzer was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on four counts of murder and is being held without bail.