A Cobb County courtroom broke down in tears as prosecutors described how 2-year-old Jacob Hicks spent at least four hours alone trying to get his murdered parents to wake up.
What’s Happening: On the fourth day of Matthew Lanz’s murder trial, prosecutors detailed the horrific scene that unfolded after they say Lanz killed Justin and Amber Hicks in November 2021. Jacob woke up to find his parents dead and spent hours trying desperately to get their attention.
What’s Important: The little boy cuddled with his parents on the couch where they died. He brought them toys, placing a toy plane in his dad’s lap and giving his mother a ball. He took their glasses off their faces and carried his dad’s phone around the house. He had no way to feed himself or change his diaper, which was badly soiled when police finally arrived.
Between the Lines: Prosecutors presented these details while proving the cruelty to children charge against Lanz. The toddler unknowingly played with the bullet that killed his mother and a shard of glass from the window prosecutors say Lanz broke to get inside. Jacob was covered in blood by the time his grandfather found him.
Why It Happened: Lanz claimed he thought the people living in the house had tormented his brother Austin. The Hicks family had only moved into the home three months earlier and were not the same residents. Lanz also told investigators he saw “demonic lights” at the house. They were Christmas lights.
Catch Up Quick: Justin served as a Cherokee County firefighter and Amber was his childhood sweetheart. They were raising Jacob in their new Acworth-area home when Lanz killed them on November 17, 2021. Lanz’s brother Austin had died months earlier after stabbing a Pentagon officer in an unprovoked attack in Washington, D.C., before killing himself.
What’s Next: Judge Sonja N. Brown is expected to deliver a verdict in the bench trial. Lanz waived his right to a jury trial and faces multiple charges including murder and cruelty to children.
The Sources: Cobb County court proceedings, previous court testimony.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
