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Anthony Todt
The trial of the Celebration man accused of murdering his family in 2019 is scheduled to start next week at the Osceola County Courthouse.
Despite several delays during the past few weeks in the state’s case against Anthony Todt for the alleged killings, his family, officials from Circuit Judge Keith Carsten’s office confirmed this week that the trial will begin Wednesday.
The 46-year-old is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty for allegedly killing his wife Megan, 42, and the couple’s children Alek, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4; and the family dog, Breezy.
A series of hearings were held in the last week for Carsten to rule on motions for the case. For instance, the jury will be allowed to see graphic photographs of the decomposing cadavers, and Todt will not be shackled during the trial.
The jury will also be allowed to hear about Todt’s confession to the murders. Defense attorney Peter Schmer has argued that Todt was heavily medicated from a suicide attempt and was not properly informed of his Miranda rights when he admitted to the killings shortly after being arrested at his rented home on Reservation Place.
Todt has pleaded not guilty.
According to investigators, three of the victims had been stabbed and all of them had been drugged with Benadryl and had rosary beads when discovered in January 2020. The youngest child was also found with a stuffed animal.
Investigators said the murders likely occurred in late December 2019, but it would be weeks before the gruesome scene unfolded, in part because of a federal investigation into Todt.
Relatives also sensed something was amiss with the family, who had moved to the rental home in Celebration’s North Village from Connecticut about six months earlier. By Dec. 22, eviction proceedings had begun for not paying the $4,900-a-month rent.
On Dec. 29, an out-of-state family member contacted the Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office and requested that a deputy go to their home and conduct a well-being check.
Deputies went to the Todt home but no one answered the door and they reported nothing suspicious.
On Jan. 9, agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contacted the Sheriff ’s Office regarding an investigation into Todt. Deputies made several more unsuccessful attempts to make contact.
The owner of a physical therapy business in Connecticut, Todt was under investigation by HHS for alleged health care fraud.
On Jan. 13, during the course of another wellbeing check, the bodies were discovered and Todt was taken into custody. Two days later while in the hospital on suicide watch, he confessed to the quadruple murder.
Defense attorneys couldn’t get the confession thrown out or the crime scene photos excluded, but the judge did grant their motion to prohibit testimony referring to “the victims’ murder” or “the murder scene” at the trial, according to court records.
Todt blamed his wife for the killings in a letter to his father, according to a document obtained from the prosecutor’s office.
