Death penalty waived in murder case
Florida prosecutors will “no longer be seeking the death penalty” in the capital murder case involving a Connecticut man charged last January in the killings of his wife, three children and the family dog, according to court filings.
A “notice of intention not to seek the death penalty” was filed Monday in the case against Anthony “Tony” Todt, who faces four counts of capital murder and one count of animal cruelty.
In her filing, State Attorney Aramis D. Ayala said
“after consideration of the facts and law applicable to this case, including serious concerns regarding the mental health of the defendant, it is not in the best interest of the people of the state of Florida to pursue the death penalty as a potential sentence.”
Todt is charged in the death of his wife, 42-yearold Megan Todt; the couple’s three children, 13-year-old Aleksander, 11-year-old
Tyler, 4-year-old Zoe; and their dog, Breezy. Their bodies were found in the family’s Celebration, Fla., home on Jan. 13, 2020.
On Feb. 25, 2020, the state of Florida filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty on all four murder counts if Anthony Todt was convicted.
In Florida, a defendant can face the death penalty for a variety of reasons, including having been previously convicted of another capital felony or if a felony involving the use or threat of violence to a person; the capital felony was considered especially heinous or cruel; the capital felony was a homicide and was committed in a “cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification;” or the victim of the capital felony was particularly vulnerable due to a disability or advanced age, or because the defendant was in a familial or authority position over the victim, the February 2020 court filing said.
The four murder charges against Todt are each labeled as “premeditated” in the court filings on the county’s judicial website.