Man sentenced to life without parole for murders of firefighter and wife in Cobb County home
An Acworth man found guilty of killing his new neighbors in their home will spend the rest of his life in prison without the chance of parole.
Matthew Scott Lanz was not in court on Friday, choosing to waive his appearance at the hearing. Judge Sonja N. Brown, who presided over the case sentenced Lanz to multiple life sentences and other jail time, which will be served concurrently.
The sentencing hearing came a day Brown found Lanz guilty on all charges in connection with the killings of Cherokee County firefighter Timothy Justin Hicks and Amber Hicks.
Lanz had been 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 cruelty to children charge was because prosecutors say Lanz left the Hicks' 2-year-old son alone with their bodies for hours in the home.
Trial reveals new details, but questions remain
In court, prosecutors shared surveillance footage they say showed Lanz scanning the Hicks' home before the murders. 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.
Police also testified that Lanz's parents took his gun from him after the shooting. When investigators tested the firearm, they were able to link it to the killings.
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 motive behind the violence is not clear, and police do not believe that Lanz knew the Hicks.
The trial was 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 attempted to argue that their client believed "that he has been set up by either the FBI, CIA, or some government agency."
A troubled family history with their neighbors
Months before the killings, Lanz's brother, Austin William Lanz, was arrested in connection with a break-in at the home that the Hicks family later moved into.
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.
In August 2021, Austin Lanz fatally stabbed a Pentagon police officer and shot himself with the officer's gun. The motive behind that attack is also not clear.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.