COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Matthew Lanz, a college student, is on trial for allegedly breaking into the home of firefighter Justin Hicks and his wife, Amber Hicks, in the Acworth neighborhood and killing them.
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Police have yet to establish a clear motive for the murders, but they revealed that Lanz and his brother had an unusual obsession with the house where the Hicks lived, which is located in Lanz’s parents’ neighborhood.
“Never even met them,” said Lanz’s mother, explaining that she and her husband did not know the murder victims.
Police say that Matthew Lanz did not know the victims, Justin and Amber Hicks, either. However, surveillance video allegedly shows Lanz casing the Hicks’ home before breaking in and committing the murders.
Lanz’s parents were unaware of the double murder until informed by a detective, who also revealed that Lanz had left the Hicks’ two-year-old son alone with his deceased parents.
In addition to the murder charges, Lanz is accused of breaking into another home and stabbing a Sandy Springs police officer when confronted.
Lanz’s parents admitted to the police that they were holding onto their son’s gun in their closet at home. They expressed concern over why Lanz felt the need to have a gun, with his father mentioning a fear that someone was out to get him.
Witness testimony in the trial is expected to continue tomorrow and wrap up by Thursday.
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