A two-year-old boy endured a 12-hour nightmare alone with the bodies of his murdered parents after a neighbour's violent rampage in their Georgia home.
A horrific discovery in Acworth
Justin and Amber Hicks, a firefighter and his wife, were fatally shot in their family home in Acworth on November 17, 2021. Their neighbour, Matthew Scott Lanz, entered through the rear door and carried out the killings while the couple's young son slept upstairs, unaware of his presence.
The tragedy came to light the next day after Amber failed to turn up for work and the couple did not respond to messages. Justin's father went to check on them and made the grim discovery. Police bodycam footage revealed the heart-wrenching scene they encountered.
The child's unimaginable ordeal
Officers found the toddler, who had been left completely alone for half a day, covered in blood and in unchanged nappies. The child was cuddling with his parents' bodies and trying to play with them to get their attention, not understanding they were dead.
Miraculously, the boy was physically unharmed. Authorities stated Lanz was unaware the child was in the house at the time of the murders.
Arrest, trial, and a lifetime of sentences
Lanz was arrested days later following another violent incident in Sandy Springs, where he allegedly stabbed a police officer in the neck before being shot by another officer. His trial faced multiple delays over questions about his mental competency, with a court hearing in October confirming he suffered from schizophrenia.
In a bench trial concluded last week, no clear motive for the murders was established. However, prosecutors revealed Lanz had previously told police he saw 'demonic lights' in the Hicks' home. He also claimed his brother, who died by suicide months earlier, had been bothered by the property's previous owners.
Lanz was found guilty on a multitude of charges, including:
- Two counts of murder
- Four counts of felony murder
- Two counts of aggravated assault
- One count of child cruelty
- One count of tampering with evidence
The court handed down a severe punishment: three life sentences, two without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 32 years in confinement. All sentences are to be served consecutively, ensuring he will never walk free.
