ACWORTH, GA - A Georgia man has been sentenced for murdering a firefighter and his wife as their toddler slept upstairs. The parents, Justin and Amber Hicks, were found slain in the home in November 2021.
The couple's neighbor, Matthew Scott Lanz, was arrested on several charges, including murder, according to a criminal warrant reviewed by PEOPLE. He was found guilty of two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of child cruelty, and one count of tampering with evidence among other offenses.
He was found guilty of all offenses in a bench trial last week. He received three life sentences, two without parole, and 32 years to serve in confinement, all to be served consecutively.
Authorities alleged in the warrant that on November 17, 2021, Lanz entered the couple's home through a rear door and fatally shot them. He was reportedly unaware that the couple's two-year-old son was asleep upstairs; the child was unharmed during the horrific incident.
During the trial, Justin's father testified that he went to the couple's residence to check on them after Amber missed work and the couple had not responded to text messages, according to 11Alive. Bodycam footage showed an officer going into the house and finding their son Jacob, who'd gut-wrenchingly been trying to get his parents' attention by attempting to cuddle and play with them.
He was found in his pajamas, covered in blood with his diaper unchanged from the night before. The defense attorney for Lanz said the accused killer believes he was set up by the CIA, FBI, and government.
While no motive behind the murders was established during the trial, Lanz previously told police that he had seen "demonic lights" in the Hicks' residence, prosecutors claimed during the trial. He also said that his brother Austin, who at that point was dead, was bothered by the previous residents of the Hicks' property.
Austin had broken into the same property when the previous residents lived there. Just months prior to the Hicks' murders, Austin died by suicide after fatally stabbing an officer in Washington, D.C. Lanz's defense attorney also argued in court that his client had not been linked to any trace evidence found at the crime scene.
The couple's neighbor, Matthew Scott Lanz, was arrested on several charges, including murder, according to a criminal warrant reviewed by PEOPLE. He was found guilty of two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of child cruelty, and one count of tampering with evidence among other offenses.
He was found guilty of all offenses in a bench trial last week. He received three life sentences, two without parole, and 32 years to serve in confinement, all to be served consecutively.
Authorities alleged in the warrant that on November 17, 2021, Lanz entered the couple's home through a rear door and fatally shot them. He was reportedly unaware that the couple's two-year-old son was asleep upstairs; the child was unharmed during the horrific incident.
During the trial, Justin's father testified that he went to the couple's residence to check on them after Amber missed work and the couple had not responded to text messages, according to 11Alive. Bodycam footage showed an officer going into the house and finding their son Jacob, who'd gut-wrenchingly been trying to get his parents' attention by attempting to cuddle and play with them.
He was found in his pajamas, covered in blood with his diaper unchanged from the night before. The defense attorney for Lanz said the accused killer believes he was set up by the CIA, FBI, and government.
While no motive behind the murders was established during the trial, Lanz previously told police that he had seen "demonic lights" in the Hicks' residence, prosecutors claimed during the trial. He also said that his brother Austin, who at that point was dead, was bothered by the previous residents of the Hicks' property.
Austin had broken into the same property when the previous residents lived there. Just months prior to the Hicks' murders, Austin died by suicide after fatally stabbing an officer in Washington, D.C. Lanz's defense attorney also argued in court that his client had not been linked to any trace evidence found at the crime scene.
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Comments
2025-12-02T16:40-0500 | Comment by: Rick
I am surprised that he did not receive the death penalty.
2025-12-02T16:40-0500 | Comment by: Rick
I am surprised that he did not receive the death penalty.