Toddler left to wander alone for 12 hours after parents shot dead ‘tried to cuddle their bodies’

Justin and Amber Hicks were shot dead by an intruder in 2021 and their two-year-old son was left to roam the house, even trying to cuddle and play with their lifeless bodies

A two-year-old boy was left to roam his house after his parents were shot dead in their home while watching television, it has been revealed.

Justin and Amber Hicks were killed by an intruder just two months after moving into what friends called their dream home in Cherokee County, Gerogia.

“At around 10 p.m. that night, this family’s worst nightmare came true,” the prosecutors said. “The back window was broken into. The Hicks were unaware. They were defenseless. They were executed.”

The Mirror reports that jurors were told how the couple’s two-year-old son Jacob was left to wander the house alone for 12 hours.

Prosecutors said state evidence showed the toddler “tried to cuddle with his parents” and even tried to “play” with their lifeless bodies. The Mirror reported that several of Jacob’s toys were allegedly discovered on and around Justin’s body.

The family dog was also in the house.

The accused, neighbour Matthew Scott Lanz, faces charges for murder and one count of cruelty to children. He is accused of causing the boy physical and mental pain after the he was alone for 12 hours, “unable to feed himself, change his diaper, or get the attention of his parents,” The Mirror reported.

Lanz was arrested days after the killings in 2021. The case has been delayed several times over questions surrounding Lanz’s competency to stand trial. In October, a court heard that Lanz suffered from schizophrenia but a judge found him competent to stand trial.

He was also arrested in April 2021 in connection with a break-in at the home the Hicks family later bought, The Mirror reported.

Lanz’s lawyers say their client believes “that he has been set up by either the FBI, CIA, or some government agency.”

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