Man found guilty on all counts for murder of firefighter and his wife in Cobb County home
A Cobb County judge found a Georgia man guilty on all charges in the 2021 deadly shooting of his new neighbors in their home.
In court on Thursday, Judge Sonja N. Brown convicted Matthew Scott Lanz of the murder of Cherokee County firefighter Timothy Justin Hicks and Amber Hicks. Prosecutors say Lanz left the couple's young son alone with their bodies for hours after the killings.
Lanz was charged with two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, home invasion, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, second-degree cruelty to children, and tampering with evidence.
The verdict came after four days of witness testimony. Lanz had waived his right to a jury trial.
In court, prosecutors shared surveillance footage they say showed Lanz leaving the Hicks' home before driving to his apartment in Athens. The next morning, officers arrived at the home after receiving a 911 call from a family member and found the 2-year-old hiding and covered in blood.
Lanz was arrested in Fulton County on Nov. 19, 2021, a day after the murders, after officials say he stabbed a Sandy Springs officer who was investigating reports of a burglary. Investigators say Lanz attacked one of the officers, stabbing him repeatedly in the back and neck. Officers shot at Lanz and hit him twice, wounding him.
The trial has been delayed for years as attorneys argued over whether Lanz was competent to stand trial. In October, a judge ruled it could go forward, arguing that interviews showed Lanz "appeared to have the capacity to make rational decisions" and was working with his attorneys with "a few minor outbursts that did not significantly disrupt the proceedings."
Lanz's defense attorneys had argued that their client believes "that he has been set up by either the FBI, CIA, or some government agency."
The Acworth man will be back in court on Friday morning for a hearing before his sentencing.
A troubled family history with their neighbors
Months before the killings, Lanz's brother, Austin William Lanz, fatally stabbed a Pentagon police officer and shot himself with the officer's gun.
Austin Lanz had been arrested in April 2021 in connection with a break-in at a home that shares a back fence with his. The house was sold a few months later to the Hicks family.
The homeowner at the time of the break-in, Phillip Brent, told The Associated Press it was a culmination of a long harassment campaign against Brent and his then-fiancée. Brent said that Austin Lanz was caught on surveillance camera slipping sexually explicit and "vaguely threatening" messages into their home's mailbox.
During the April break-in, Brent said that Austin Lanz smashed through the back door with a sledgehammer, opened their blinds, and rummaged through their bed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.