Death penalty sought for Celebration man accused of killing wife and 3 children, state attorney announces
Prosecutors seeking death penalty for Anthony Todt
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man indicted on four counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his wife and three children at their Florida home near Walt Disney World. State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced during a news conference Tuesday that an Osceola County grand jury had formally charged Anthony Todt.
CELEBRATION, Fla. - The death penalty is being sought for a Celebration man accused of killing his wife and three children, the state attorney announced on Tuesday.
Anthony Todt, 44, is facing second-degree murder charges for the killings of his wife, 42-year-old Megan Todt, and their three kids: Alek, 13; Tyler, 11; and Zoe, 4. He was arrested in January after deputies found the bodies of his wife, Megan Todt, and their three children wrapped in blankets in the master bedroom. The medical examiner's report found that Megan and two of the children suffered from stab wounds, while the youngest child did not.
(Courtesy of Bobbie Sedwick)
State Attorney Aramis Ayala is the prosecutor for this case. On Tuesday, she announced that the death penalty is being pursued against Todt.
"I also indicated that despite my position on the death penalty, my death penalty review board, they moved forward, they charged on. They have unanimously voted to seek death in this case and that notice was filed today," Ayala said.
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Federal agents said that prior to Todt's arrest, they were investigating him for health care fraud. They said that he had billed thousands of dollars' worth of fake physical therapy sessions to Medicaid and private insurers to fund a lifestyle beyond his means.
Reports came in after Todt's arrest stating that Todt had actually witnessed his father attempt to have his own mother murdered about 40 years ago in Connecticut. His mother survived the attack and his father was convicted.