SLO County Woman Charged With Murder after Standoff

UPDATE

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department identified 34-year-old Benjamin Darrel Terra of Paso Robles as the victim in a homicide investigation over the weekend in rural Paso Robles.

Authorities say that Terra suffered a gunshot wound. An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death.

The suspect, 61-year-old Nicole Honait Luxor, is in San Luis Obispo County Jail on one count of murder and 36 counts of attempted murder. Bail for Luxor is set at $1 million.

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A horse breeding ranch west of Paso Robles is at the center of a murder investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department.

It follows a 9-hour standoff Saturday involving 61-year-old Nicole Honait Luxor who barricaded herself inside a home on the property after deputies discovered a dead man inside the same home.

Crime scene tape and a Road Closed sign were reminders Sunday morning of a long night for San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department deputies and investigators as well as neighbors of the Dancing Horse Ranch on Old Nacimiento Road.

“I was stunned, really stunned” says neighbor Janey Dyck of the marathon standoff and gunfire across the road.

Dyck and her neighbors on Old Nacimiento Road waited for hours inside their homes on Saturday as Sheriff’s deputies dealt with Luxor who had barricaded herself inside a log cabin-style home on the Dancing Horse Ranch property.

The standoff began at about 3:00pm on Saturday when deputies responded to the property after getting a call about a possible assault with a deadly weapon.

The Sheriff’s Department says Luxor shot once at deputies after they forced their way into the home and found the body of a man in his early 30’s inside.

The deputies retreated back out of the home and the standoff continued for hours into Saturday night.

The Sheriff’s Department says after several attempts to make contact with Luxor failed, tear gas was fired into the home and Luxor responded by firing several more shots at the deputies. No one was hurt by the gunfire.

Neighbors including Janey Dyck said they could hear the gunshots.

“Yeah, you could hear them talking to her through the blow horn and you could also hear them shooting the gas”, Dyck says.

Sometime around midnight on Saturday the Sheriff’s Department says Luxor surrendered and was taken into custody unharmed.

A website for the Dancing Horse Ranch says the property is home to “Paso Fino” riding horses, although its unclear if it remains a working ranch, and has been used for retreats, weddings and other special events.

Neighbors say Luxor may have renters on the property.

The Sheriff’s Department says it is trying to contact the family of the man found dead inside the home before releasing his name, cause of death and relationship to Luxor.

Nicole Luxor is being held in San Luis Obispo County Jail on a single charge of murder with bail set at one million dollars.

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Original Post

A nine hour standoff between a woman and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies at a home in the rural Paso Robles area ended at about midnight Saturday with the woman surrendering and taken into custody unharmed.

The Sheriff’s Department says the unidentified woman in her early 60’s shot at the deputies during the standoff inside a home along the 4200 block of Old Nacimiento Road before giving herself up.

The Sheriff’s Department says it responded to a call of a possible assault with a deadly weapon at the home about 3:00pm Saturday afternoon.

When deputies arrived, the Sheriff’s Department says the woman had barricaded herself inside.

The Sheriff’s Department says it dispatched its Special Enforcement Detail (SED) to the home which then made entry and discovered the body of an unidentified man in his early 30’s inside the home.

The Sheriff’s Department says when the SED got inside the house the woman fired one shot at the deputies and went upstairs. The deputies, who were not hit, retreated from the home and the standoff continued.

After repeated attempts to make contact with the woman, the Sheriff’s Department says SED members fired tear gas into the home and the woman responded by firing several shots at the deputies. No injuries were reported.

Around midnight the Sheriff’s Department says the woman came out of the home and gave herself up.

Cal Fire quickly put out a small fire that began in an upstairs bedroom as a result of the tear gas.

No other information about the woman arrested, including her name, what she’s being charged with. Her booking photo has not been released.

It’s unclear how the male victim died, and his identity will not be released pending notification of next of kin.

Keep checking back for further updates on this story.