Anthony Todt: ‘Disney Dad’ found guilty of murdering his family and dog in Florida home
During his testimony, a Florida man accused of murdering his whole family inside his lavish house near Walt Disney World cried and blamed the deaths on his wife. Anthony Todt, 46, the ‘Disney Dad’ suspected of multiple murders, is charged with four counts of homicide in the deaths of his wife, Megan Todt, and their three children, Alex, 3, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, all of whom were killed in 2019. The man is also accused of killing the family dog, Breezy, according to police.
Mr Todt, a therapist from Connecticut, had been living with the remains for weeks when authorities discovered them inside his gated community house, according to the Law & Crime. In 2020, police went to Mr Todt's residence with the intent of arresting him on fraud charges but instead discovered the remains of his killed family. The victims were killed by 'unspecified violence' as well as Benadryl overdoses, according to a medical examiner. Mr Todt told jurors that his wife had been suffering from depression and other health issues, including Lyme disease, throughout his testimony. He said she had many miscarriages and that his wife's hardships prompted him to convert to the Hindu faith which is centered on the afterlife.
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During the trial, he keeps on changing his statements. “My wife — she was a yoga teacher in addition to physical therapist — she went from a very strong vibrant woman to barely holding on at 90 pounds. She went from a mom who provided for everything…to a person who could barely walk stairs on certain days,” he said crying. He went on to say that his wife had murdered both their children and herself. Mr Todt said he returned home one day to see her covered in blood and that he did not report the killings because he wanted to protect his wife. Pinnell told jurors that "everybody needed to die in order to pass over to the other side together because the apocalypse was coming," referencing Todt's purported views.
The jury unanimously found Anthony Todt guilty of 4 counts of first degree murder in the death of his wife and 3 children.
— Anika Hope (@AnikaHopeTV) April 14, 2022
The jury found Todt guilty of cruelty to animals in the death of the family dog.
Todt also claimed that after seeing movies based on the afterlife, he and his wife planned the killings. He stated that they were thinking of 'salvation in mind,' and so he sought control over the lives and deaths of his wife and children. He also confessed that they 'love our kids.' He also claimed that he attempted suicide several times before 'chickened out.' However, the jury found that his testimony contradicts a confession he gave to investigators on tape. The audio was played to the jury a few days before he testified. Mr Todt has admitted to smothering his daughter Zoe, stabbing and choking his sons Aleks and Tyler, and suffocating his wife after claiming she stabbed herself. After the trial, a 12-member jury convicted Anthony Todt on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty.