Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell made a statement this week regarding the verdict and sentence in the Anthony Todt trial from last week.
After over six hours of deliberation, a jury found Anthony Todt guilty on four counts of murder and one count of animal cruelty Thursday in the 2019 death of his wife Megan, children Tyler, Aleksander and Zoe and family dog Breezy.
At one point, the jury returned to the courtroom deadlocked on at least one of the five counts. But about 90 minutes later, the jury returned the unanimous verdicts. Todt subtly shook his head, clasped his hands together to his mouth, then shook his head more pronounced as the jury left the courtroom.
Sentencing occurred shortly after the jury rendered its verdict; life in prison — four consecutive cases for the four lives lost — with no possibility of parole. This was not a death penalty case, as former State Attorney Aramis Ayala took that off the table days before leaving office in January 2021.
“There are no words that adequately express the utter tragedy that is this case,” State Attorney Worrell said i n the statement. “This verdict brings a painful chapter in our community to a close. I know that this result cannot ease the suffering of those who loved Megan, Zoe, Aleksander, and Tyler Todt. My heart goes out to you, and our office will continue to do everything we can to provide access to the services and resources you need to cope with this traumatic loss. I can only hope that the conclusion of this trial will bring you some degree of peace.
“None of this happens without the hard work, persistence, and diligence of our staff, including the trial Assistant State Attorneys (ASAs) who worked unrelentingly to hold Todt accountable for this unspeakable crime. ASA Danielle Pinnell did a remarkable job building this case and ensuring that justice prevailed. Additionally, we have to recognize our Support Staff who walked the family through this process, answered their questions as it related to trial preparation, and worked around the clock to ensure our attorneys had the tools necessary to put on a successful trial.”
