Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Matthew Lanz Sentenced to Life Without Parole for 2021 Murders of Neighbors Justin and Amber Hicks

The sentence follows a bench trial built on surveillance, DNA, firearm evidence.

Overview

  • Judge Sonja N. Brown imposed multiple concurrent life sentences after finding Lanz guilty on all counts, and he waived his appearance at the sentencing hearing.
  • The convictions included malice murder, felony murder, home invasion, aggravated assault, firearm possession during a felony, second-degree cruelty to children, and tampering with evidence.
  • Prosecutors said surveillance showed Lanz near the Hicks home, investigators linked a seized handgun to the killings, and DNA tied him to the firearm.
  • Investigators testified the couple’s 2-year-old was discovered more than 12 hours later, covered in blood and alone, supporting the child-cruelty count.
  • Lanz was arrested the day after the killings following a Sandy Springs break-in in which police say he stabbed an officer before being shot and wounded by another officer.