Son charged with killing parents, housekeeper in California

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged Friday with killing his parents and their housekeeper in an upscale Southern California community.

Camden Nicholson, 27, of Newport Beach, was charged with three counts of murder and an enhancement alleging multiple murders.

Nicholson was arrested Wednesday night after police found his parents, Richard and Kim Nicholson, and their housekeeper Maria Morse in the couple's home in a gated community in Newport Beach, authorities said.

Police had gone to check on them after officers in the nearby city of Irvine talked to Camden Nicholson at a hospital emergency room.

Court filings say authorities suspect Nicholson may have killed his parents Monday and Morse a day later.

Heather Rangel, a spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Police Department, declined to provide further details about the killings.

Nicholson's arraignment was delayed on Friday until March 8. His lawyer, Jessica Ann Watts, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Nicholson attended the University of Utah in fall 2009, spring 2010 and fall 2013, said Chris Nelson, communications director for the school. He did not receive a degree, Nelson said.

He also played on the university golf team in fall 2009, Nelson said.

Richard Nicholson had a long history in the clinical laboratory industry and previously served as president of the California Clinical Laboratory Association, said Michael Arnold, the group's executive director.

In recent years, he worked as a consultant to what is now known as WestPac Labs, said Staton Shed, the company's interim president.

"He was just a really good man, and he cared deeply for the patients," Shed said. "We're all just still trying to understand what happened, and you can't make sense of it."