WEDNESDAY UPDATE: A jury of eight women and six men has been picked in the murder trial of Anthoty Todt, the man accused of killing his wife, three children and family dog in their Celebration home in early 2020.
The trial will begin Monday at 9 a.m., when opening statements from the prosecution will be heard, in Judge Keith Carsten's courtroom of the Osceola County Courthouse. The judge noted the trial could last two weeks.
Assistant State Attorney Danielle Pinelle, Public Defender Robert Wesley and defense attorney Alicia Smith sifted through three pools of 50 jurors each from Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon to get the jury panel, which includes two alternates. They weeded out jurors who through issues with work or child care, “could not be impartial for the length of the trial.” Many stated during voir dire questioning that their jobs would not pay them during their service, or for more than a certain period of time, issues that would skew their view of the case. Just under half of each pool was eliminated based on such availability, and more were excused when asked about religious beliefs that would cloud the ability to judge case, or if they had heard about the case in the media or, in one instance, from a friend.
Prospective jurors were asked if they had pets — Breezy, the family dog, was found dead on Jan. 13, 2020 along with wife Megan Todt, 42, and children Aleksander, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4. Anthony Todt, 46, faces four counts of first-degree murder and a count of cruelty to animals.
A toxicologist said the children were given doses of Benadryl, and Anthony himself had taken the drug when Osceola County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the Reserve Place home . While Todt was party to a federal summons in a business fraud case up in the family's home state of Connecticut, deputies were called by family up north for a wellness check, since they had not heard from the Todts for over two weeks. Deputies entered to a foul smell, indicating they may have been there over a week, and eventually found the four human bodies wrapped in blankets with stab wounds.
Last month, the defense made motions that neither the federal investigation, nor Todt's mental health history, can be brought up in the trial. The court also ruled that a confession given to two detectives at a Celebration hospital on Jan. 13, 2020 is not admissible because he was not read his full Miranda rights, but others given later that day and two days later at the Sheriff's Office, given with full Miranda rights, are admissible. During the two interviews on the 13th, detectives noted Todt was visibly shaken and admitted to taking Benadryl himself.
But, court records show during the summer of 2020, Todt recanted to a family member during a jail visit conversation, saying that Megan Todt fed a “Benadryl/Tylenol PM pie” to the children so they’d overdosed, then drank a bottle of Benadryl then stabbed herself.
This is a continuing, breaking story. Check back at AroundOsceola.com, and in Thursday's print News-Gazette, for further updates.
