Son arrested after father killed with sledgehammer

The Sonoma County coroner’s office has confirmed the identity of the man who was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer as 64-year-old Simran Khalsa.

Santa Rosa police arrested Khalsa’s son, 33-year-old Angelo Michael Lancaster, also known as Kartar Khalsa, on suspicion of burglary and murder. The slaying occurred in Simran Khalsa’s east Santa Rosa home late Sunday night.

Lancaster will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Sonoma County Superior Court. He is being held under no bail in Sonoma County Jail. Officers responded to the slaying when Simran Khalsa’s nephew called police around 11:20 p.m., Santa Rosa police Sgt. David Linscomb said.

Simran Khalsa’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom and Lancaster was found hiding in the backyard of the residence in the 600 block of Wright Street, Linscomb said.

Lancaster recently was allowed to move back to the residence and was staying in an apartment attached to the main house on the property, Linscomb said.

Lancaster broke out the glass front door of the residence and entered the main house with a sledgehammer, Linscomb said. After a short argument, Lancaster strangled his father and bludgeoned him with the hammer, Linscomb said.

Lancaster was angry with his father over an earlier argument, Linscomb said. The man who reported the incident was not injured.