The State, defense rest in murder trial for Celebration, Florida man who said he, his wife agreed to kill their family before the Apocalypse
On Wednesday, the State of Florida and the defense rested in the of a man accused of murdering his at their home in Celebration, Florida, in 2020.
Forty-six-year-old is on for the murders of his , , his four-year-old daughter , his two sons, Alek Todt, age 13, and , age 11, as well as the dog named Breezy. The bodies of Todt’s deceased members and the family pet were discovered in January 2020 in their home located in the town of Celebration, Florida, near the Resort.
Celebration, Florida, was first founded by the Walt Disney Company in the 1990s and is usually regarded as a quiet community. News of the Todt family murders rocked the small town.
, 46, is a ho worked and lived in Connecticut prior to moving to Celebration. The bodies of and the couple’s children were found on January 13, 2020, after and arrived at the home in Celebration to serve an on on charges of .
The jury in the was seated on April 6 at the . At that time, Circuit told the 14 —12 and two alternate –that they would hear opening statements from the State and from ‘s defense attorneys beginning Monday, April 11.
During the jury seating, Judge Carsten reminded the jury that they were not to form “any definite or fixed opinion on the merits of the case” until they had heard all of the evidence presented in the case.
“You should not discuss the case with anyone or with each other,” Carsten said to them.
is being represented by Orange-Osceola County Public Defender Robert Wesley. Outside the presence of the selected , Wesley told Judge Carsten that the defense for would defer its , opting instead to wait to present theirs until the State rests its case against Todt.
The commenced as planned on Monday with an from the State.
On Wednesday, the State began by calling on Detective Cole Miller to take the stand. Detective Miller was responsible for interviewing after the murders. A video recording of that interview was played for the to hear on Tuesday.
The State presented questions to Detective Miller during day three of the Wednesday, after which the defense declined to question him.
It was at that time that the State rested its case, surprising ‘s defense attorneys. The then adjourned for lunch. Upon returning, the defense called to the stand to testify.
Todt talked about his , , saying she had many health issues, including Lyme disease.
“My , she was a yoga teacher in addition to [being a] ,” Todt said. “[She] went from a very strong, vibrant woman to barely holding onto 90 pounds.” Todt further shared that his had endured miscarriages, which “affected her big time.”
“She went from a humming and dancing person to someone who didn’t get out of bed,” Todt explained.
then proceeded to blame the deaths of his children on his , saying that he came home and found them deceased, and that his had blood on her shirt.
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In 2020, Todt confessed to the . He also told that he and his Megan had an agreement to kill their so they could “pass over” since the apocalypse was coming. But he had since reneged on that confession. In on Wednesday, he said that he had tried to cover for his .
He said that after the deaths, he tried to commit suicide multiple times.
“I remember at least eight times,” Todt said, explaining that he tried to overdose several times with Benadryl. “I just wanted to be with my .” When his attorney asked him if he killed his , Todt responded with “No.”
From the stand, further said that his used holistic, religious, and spiritual practices as treatments for her illnesses. After his testimony, the adjourned for lunch, after which the defense rested without calling any further witnesses.
Closing arguments took place Thursday morning and jury deliberations are underway.
