Todt murder trial delayed to Nov. 1
Former Colchester physical therapist accused of killing wife, three children in their Florida home
The trial for Anthony Todt, the man accused of killing his wife and three children at their home in Florida, has been delayed to November by a judge at the request of prosecutors.
Osceola County Circuit Judge Keith Carsten granted the continuance Monday. The case had been slated to go before a jury Sept. 27 but now is set to begin Nov. 1.
Carsten also pushed back to October a hearing on a defense motion to preclude jurors from hearing Todt’s alleged confession.
Assistant State Attorney Danielle Pinnell argued her team needed the trial delay in order to rebut several motions filed by Todt’s defense, including the one concerning his confession and another that seeks to exclude photos of his dead family from trial.
Todt, who was present from the Osceola County Jail via video conference, appeared ready to proceed, but Public Defender Bob Wesley and Peter Schmer didn’t oppose a delay while the latter undergoes cancer treatment.
Even as the judge delayed the trial, Pinnell noted a possible scheduling conflict with an unrelated murder trial.
“We can only try one case at a
time. Mr. Todt is very anxious to have his matter resolved, and I’m anxious to officially provide that access to a jury trial once these pending evidentiary hearings are resolved,” Carsten said.
“Any questions for your counsel?” Carsten asked. Todt replied, “No, just aspirations to get this done.”
Monday’s ruling is the latest setback in a murder case that captivated Osceola County and Colchester, where Todt owned a private physical therapy practice until he was accused by federal investigators of healthcare fraud.
In Florida, Todt is charged with first-degree murder and animal cruelty in the killings of his 42-yearold wife Megan Todt; the couple’s children Alek, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4; and their dog Breezy.
The fraud case was dismissed in February after federal prosecutors argued it could wait for the outcome of Todt’s trial. Todt’s defense team has asked Carsten to prohibit any mention of the fraud case during the murder trial, as well as descriptions of the family’s home as “the murder scene” and
the English translation of “Todt” — German for “dead.”
Todt’s alleged confession is a crucial piece of evidence in the trial, which has not been publicly released. Schmer argues Osceola County deputies improperly interrogated Todt while he was still suffering the effects of a Benadryl overdose and without properly informing him of his rights.
He also argued the photos of the family’s bodies should be excluded because an autopsy couldn’t definitively determine the cause of death. According to court records, a medical examiner ruled Todt’s family were killed by “homicidal violence of ‘unspecified means.’ “
Court records also offered a glimpse into Todt’s alleged confession, including that he told detectives he strangled his family to death — which the medical examiner couldn’t determine because of decomposition, Schmer contends.
In a jailhouse call made last year, Todt accused his wife of killing their children by drugging and later “stabbing and suffocating” them, before killing herself.