Anthony Todt shook his head as the judge revealed his fate in a Florida courtroom on Thursday.
A jury found the 46-year-old father guilty in the murders of his wife, their three children, and the family dog. The convicted murderer maintained his innocence throughout the trial and even spoke out against the verdict after it was handed down.
Circuit Judge Keith A. Carsten gave Todt four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge called Todt a "destroyer of worlds."
A horrific scene was discovered back in January 2020, when FBI agents entered the Todt family home. Inside, they found the decomposing bodies of his wife, Megan Todt, 42; their 13-year-old son, Alek; their 11-year-old son, Tyler; their youngest child, Zoe; and their dog, Breezy.
Todt was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty, but he pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, Todt blamed his wife for the murders. According to The Daily Beast, he said, "I came home and my kids were dead. It was the most horrible day of my life. What made it more horrible was that my wife died in front of me also."
Previously, the convicted killer confessed. The videotaped confessions were played at the trial. According to The Orlando Sentinel, he claimed that he and his wife decided to kill the kids and themselves because she had been watching videos about how to achieve "salvation" before the apocalypse.
He detailed how each child was killed, as well, and said that his wife stabbed herself. When she didn't die, he proceeded to kill her himself. He said he moved all of their bodies into the master bedroom once they were dead.
He also revealed that he killed his family before Christmas, which meant he had been living among the corpses for weeks. Court records show that Todt, a longtime physical therapist, had been deeply in debt for years.
