Matthew Lanz is a killer from Georgia who would be convicted of the murders of Justin and Amber Hicks
According to court documents Matthew Lanz would break into the home of his neighbors Justin and Amber Hicks where he would fatally shoot the couple. The Hick’s two year old son was upstairs when the shooting took place
Matthew Lanz would stab a police officer during a burglary and would be arrested. The officer would survive his injuries
Matthew Lanz would go on trial for a long list of charges and would be convicted of murder, home invasion, aggravated assault and a host of other charges. Lanz would be sentenced to life in prison without parole
Matthew Lanz Case
A man found guilty of shooting his neighbors to death in Acworth was sentenced on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, Matthew Lanz was convicted of all 13 charges he faced, including murder, aggravated assault, home invasion and more.
Lanz had a bench trial, not a jury trial, so Cobb County Superior Court Judge Sonja Brown decided his guilt and sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole.
Lanz was found guilty of shooting and killing Justin and Amber Hicks inside their Acworth home in November 2021. Justin was a firefighter, while Amber was an audiology assistant.
The Hicks’ 2-year-old son was upstairs when the shooting happened. He was left unhurt but was alone for hours before his parents’ bodies were discovered.
Two days later, Lanz stabbed a Sandy Springs police officer during a burglary, leading to his arrest. Another officer also shot him during the incident.
Before Lanz’s sentencing Friday, more than a dozen of those affected by his crime delivered victim impact statements to the judge and courtroom
I firmly believe that Mr. Lanz is a representative of pure evil,” Amber’s father Mark Boggs said.
Convicts typically attend their sentencing, but Lanz requested not to appear, Brown said.
Justin’s father, Tim Hicks, was among those who delivered an impact statement. Tim, a former police officer, had rushed over to the couple’s home when nobody could reach them by phone and saw their bodies.
“There’s really just no words proper enough to convey how this has impacted me personally,” he told the judge. “And there’s nothing I can do to make it feel better, to heal the hurt.”
Despite his frustrations, Tim Hicks told the Judge he forgives Lanz and hopes he can find God while spending the rest of his life behind bars.
“It’s not rehabilitation he needs, your honor. It’s an exorcism, is what he needs. He needs a big healthy dose of Jesus, and I pray that he’ll find that once he’s there. Time to reflect. Because hell is real,” Tim Hicks said.
Lanz does have the right to file an appeal, or a motion for a new trial. His attorney said Friday he believes Lanz has a mental health issue, despite being ruled mentally competent last month.
Man convicted of shooting, killing Acworth neighbors sentenced to life in prison
