Prosecutors announced Monday they will seek the death penalty for Adam Matos, the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, her parents and her new boyfriend in Hudson.
Matos entered a not-guilty plea in court to four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count to being a fugitive from justice. He waived his right to a speedy trial, and Circuit Court Judge William Webb set a pretrial hearing for Dec. 9.
Last month, deputies discovered four bodies stacked on a hill in Hudson. The were identified Matos girlfriend, Megan Brown, 27, also the mother of his 4-year-old child; her parents, Greg and Margaret Brown, both 52; and Nicholas Leonard, 37, a man Megan Brown had recently started dating.
According to court documents. Megan and Greg Brown died of gunshot wounds, Margaret Brown died of blunt-force trauma to the head and asphyxiation and Leonard died of blunt-force trauma to the head.
Deputies had visited the Browns' home - where Matos also lived - in early September to investigate a report that no one could be reached at the home. No one had talked to anyone at the home since Aug. 28, the day Megan Brown reported that Matos held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.
At the home, deputies found large amounts of blood and a strong odor.
Soon after, they found the bodies in a field less than a mile away. Investigators then tracked down Matos and his son at a Tampa hotel and took Matos into custody. Matos was first charged with aggravated assault and later with the murders.
According to the sheriff's office, investigators found weapons inside and surrounding the Browns' home, as well as blood-soaked rugs and sheets.