SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A man whose wife and two children were brutally slain this week in their Sacramento-area home says he allowed his younger brother to stay with them despite strained relations and a history of violent threats.

Denis Bukhantsov (boo-KAN-stov) spoke Thursday for the first time since his wife, son and daughter were found murdered in their duplex two days earlier. His brother, 19-year-old Grigoriy Bukhantsov, is being held.

Denis Bukhantsov, who is 29, said he allowed his brother into his home to take shelter from the rain because "he was part of our family, too." He described him as being calm.

He returned home from work Tuesday afternoon to find the bodies. Investigators said the victims died from a "violent encounter" that involved "slashing."

A 6-month-old boy was unharmed.

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