FT WAYNE, Ind.–Part of the reason Coen Hancz-Barron will likely get life without parole is the number of people killed and the manner in which a mom and her three children died last year in Ft. Wayne. Hancz-Barron was found guilty Thursday morning in the stabbings of Sarah Zent, 26, and her children, Carter Mathew Zent, 5; Ashton Duwayne Zent, 3; and Aubree Christine Zent, 2.
Hancz-Barron, 22, will be sentenced August 5.
The jury considered sentencing recommendations Thursday afternoon and found that aggravating circumstances dictate Hancz-Barron should serve four life terms, with no parole.
The family asked prosecutor Tom Chaille and his team not to pursue the death penalty.
“Sadly for us, this case started that day for us. We went to the scene. We did a walk-through,” said Chaille. “As a prosecutor and as a father, this case has been horrifying. It’s one of the toughest ones we’ve worked in a very long time.”
He also acknowledged that the trial has been tough on the families of the victims because they had to sit through the presentation of photographic and scientific evidence, and testimony regarding the murders.
Hancz-Barron killed the family in June of last year. Their bodies were discovered on the morning of June 2, and witnesses immediately told police who they should look for. They tracked down Hancz-Barron using his digital activity. He was arrested at an apartment complex in Lafayette, with a bloody knife and Sarah Zent’s credit card.
