A Cobb County judge found Matthew Lanz guilty on all 13 counts in the 2021 murders of Justin and Amber Hicks, ending a four-year wait for justice.

What’s Happening: Judge Sonja Brown delivered guilty verdicts Thursday on every charge against Lanz, including two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, home invasion, aggravated assault, firearm possession, cruelty to children and tampering with evidence. Lanz waived his right to a jury and chose a bench trial.

What’s Important: The guilty verdict on cruelty to children stems from Lanz leaving the couple’s 2-year-old son Jacob alone for nearly 12 hours with his dead parents. The toddler spent several hours of that time trying desperately to wake them up, bringing them toys and cuddling with them on the couch where they died

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