(GoRealNewsNow.com) – In a horrific crime, a Florida landlord shot and killed a family of four, including two young kids, and then burned their bodies in a fire pit at their shared home.
25-year-old Rory Atwood confessed to killing the “transient” family after a dispute with the parents, who were his friends from high school.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco told reporters, “If there wasn’t evil in this world, we wouldn’t have to pray as much. And when I talk about this story today, you’re going to hear about evil.”
At first, Atwood denied knowing the whereabouts of the Zilliot family, which included 26-year-old Rain Mancini, 25-year-old Phillip Zilliot II and their kids, Karma and Phillip III, ages 6 and 5.
The family, staying at Atwood’s Hudson home, was reported missing last week by Mancini’s mother after she lost daily contact with her daughter. Atwood allowed investigators to search the property that day.
According to the criminal complaint, detectives found nothing unusual except for a backyard fire pit that was “actively smoldering and smoking.”
The next day, a friend of Atwood told police that he had called him the night before and confessed to “killing his roommates and their children.”
Moreover, investigators returned with cadaver dogs, which discovered “small skeletal remains,” soft tissue, and two human vertebrae in the fire pit. The back patio also smelled strongly of chlorine.
Atwood initially claimed he kicked out the family for not paying rent but later admitted to killing them.
He said Zilliot II and Mancini stormed into the house, both holding knives. Zilliot II allegedly tried to use a knife on Atwood but resorted to punching when disarmed.
Afterward, Atwood snapped when he saw Mancini using her knife to “poke” his 4-year-old daughter in the throat. They struggled over the knives, and a gun Zilliot II had brought, with Atwood ultimately shooting both parents.
However, he did not say where the kids were during the struggle but claimed he believed the parents had killed them. Later, he admitted the children’s bodies were in the fire pit but denied killing them.
According to court records, Atwood pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond.
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