The trial began of the man who would have murdered his family and his dog in Florida because he thought the apocalypse was coming

A heinous multiple murder occurred in Florida (United States) when a father killed his entire family, his wife, his three children and his dog, in the midst of a violent episode in which he believed that the apocalypse was about to happen.

The facts, which were detailed in the midst of the trial facing the killer, first became known on January 13, 2020, when authorities arrived at the home of Anthony Todt, 46, to comply with a federal order on charges of health care fraud stemming from his physical therapy business.

The surprise for FBI and Osceola County agents in Florida was to find the decomposed bodies of Anthony's wife. Megan Todt, 42, her 13-year-old sons Alek, and 11-year-old Tyler; her 4-year-old daughter Zoe and her dog Breezy in the master bedroom of their home.

According to the agents, Anthony Todt, who was found elsewhere in the house, had been living with his family's bodies for at least a week before the discovery, and had wrapped them in blankets.

Forensic reports found that there were toxic amounts of Benadryl in the bodies.

Todt was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty. He pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

More than two years later, at the start of her murder trial Monday at the Osceola County Courthouse in Kissimmee, Assistant State Attorney Danielle Pinnell alleged that Todt told detectives that he and Megan had agreed to kill the entire family.

“Everyone had to die to get to the other side together because the apocalypse was approaching,” Pinnell told the jury, citing Todt's alleged beliefs, according to local media.

Pinnell also set out in detail exactly how Todt killed each member of the family, one by one, in December 2019, according to an alleged confession following his arrest.

He started with his youngest daughter, Zoe, age 4.

“The defendant entered Zoe Todt's room while she was sleeping,” Pinnell said. “He took the time to sit with her and then rolled over her until he smothered her.”

Afterwards, he went to the children's bedroom, where he allegedly said he suffocated and stabbed Alek, who was sleeping.

After that, he allegedly suffocated and stabbed Tyler, who was sleeping on a couch in the arcade.

“The defendant was most concerned about Tyler Todt because Tyler was the fastest,” Pinnell said. “I was afraid that if something didn't go the way he wanted, Tyler would escape.”

When everyone was dead, Pinnell said, he told detectives that he “took all their bodies and placed them in the master bedroom.”

As Pinnell explained to the jury what Todt allegedly did to his family that fateful day, Todt shook his head while listening, media present at the hearing reported.

He allegedly said that Megan stabbed herself in the abdomen. When she was unable to commit suicide, he said, he suffocated her with a pillow, according to Pinnell.

Authorities believe the family was killed in late December and claimed that after his arrest, Todt's story changed.

Todt initially confessed to the murders, prosecutors said. Later, he said he wasn't home when the murders took place.

“I couldn't stop this because I wasn't there,” Todt allegedly told his sister, Chrissy Caplet, in a prison recording of one of the two phone calls obtained by The Day of New London.

During the course of the two phone calls in March and April 2020, Todt allegedly hinted to his sister that his wife had killed the children before committing suicide.

“There were multiple attempts, just so you know, multiple attempts over a period of time, there have been attempts,” Todt said. “That's why this time I was stuck here trying to handle things.”

Todt allegedly shared similar feelings in a June 19 letter to his father, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. In the letter he stated that his wife had drugged the children before stabbing and suffocating them.

He then said that his wife drank a bottle of Benadryl before stabbing herself in the stomach.

In recent years, Todt and his family have moved to Celebration (Florida) from Colchester, Connecticut, although it is not clear how long they lived in the disney-owned dream city developed by Disney. The man traveled between the two states to try to save his legally besieged medical practice in Connecticut.

Todt was a longtime physical therapist and owner of Family Physical Therapy in Colchester. But court records show that Todt was heavily in debt.

Over the years, liens had been placed on a condo that the family owned at Celebration. On December 22, the owner of the family's condo in Reserve Place filed an eviction notice, which was delivered to the family on Dec. 26.

Todt's trial will continue this week.

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