ACWORTH, Ga. — UPDATE: The arraignment that was due to happen Tuesday morning has been delayed due to a conflict and will be rescheduled.
Original story below
The man accused of killing a young couple inside their Acworth home last year is due in court Tuesday for an arraignment.
Matthew Lanz is charged with two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, one count of home invasion, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, one count of cruelty to children in the second degree, and one count of tampering with evidence.
The couple, Justin Hicks, 31, and Amber Hicks, 31, were killed in their home in November of 2021. Family members said they were childhood sweethearts, growing up down the street from each other. Justin served as a firefighter in Cherokee County.
The hearing is taking place in a Cobb County courtroom at 9:30 a.m. You can watch it live on 11Alive.com, the 11Alive YouTube channel or on the 11Alive+ app on Roku or FireTV.
The Hicks' 2-year-old son, Jacob, was at the home when his parents were found shot to death. He was rescued by police unharmed. Lanz, according to the indictment, was charged with cruelty to children for causing "cruel and excessive physical and mental pain," to the child by leaving him "alone and unsupervised for approximately 12 hours during which Jacob Hicks was unable to feed himself, change his diaper, or get the attention of his parents."
The tampering with evidence charge is due to Lanz allegedly removing shell casings from the murder scene in an attempt to avoid his apprehension and prosecution, according to the indictment.
Lanz is also accused of stabbing a Sandy Springs officer in a separate incident a day later; the wounded cop survived the attack. A day after the couple was found dead, Sandy Springs Police confronted the suspect, Lanz, during a home intrusion call - not knowing at the time he was also the suspect in the Acworth case.
RELATED: Bodycam video released | Man stabs Sandy Springs officer after allegedly murdering couple day before
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