OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE:
The jury in the trial of a Celebration man accused of killing his family is deadlocked.
Anthony Todt is accused of killing his wife, their three children and the family’s dog in December of 2019, then living in the home with their bodies until they were discovered a month later.
“All of you have worked hard to find a verdict in this case,” the judge told the jury. “It has apparently been impossible so far.”
The judge ordered the jury to return to deliberations. If a decision is not met, the judge said the case will be declared a mistrial.
Read our previous version of the story below:
Jury deliberations are underway in the murder trial of a man accused of killing his family in 2019.
Anthony Todt is accused of killing his wife, their three children and the family’s dog in December of 2019, then living in the home with their bodies until they were discovered a month later.
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While the defense tried to claim a reasonable doubt existed, prosecutors focused on inconsistencies in what Todt told law enforcement the day he was arrested, and what he said in court when he took the stand in his defense.
Prosecutors said Todt originally confessed to the killings and said they were part of a murder-suicide pact.
On Wednesday, Todt said his wife was responsible for the deaths of his family, and that when he came home that day in 2019, his wife and children were already dead.
WATCH: Defense can’t discuss mental health of Celebration man accused of killing family, judge says
“I came home and my kids were dead,” Todt said.
Todt testified that his wife Megan had suffered from chronic pain related to a litany of medical conditions, but woke up on the last morning his children were alive, claiming she was “pain-free.”
Ultimately it will be up to the jury as to whether or not there is enough evidence for a conviction.
If found guilty, Todt faces life in prison.
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