A Lancaster, Calif., couple has been sentenced for the killing and decapitation of two of their children, and for forcing the children’s siblings to look at the bodies.
On Monday, Feb. 2, Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 49, were sentenced to six years in prison plus two consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole, according to CBS News, the Los Angeles Times and NBC4 Los Angeles.
In November, the pair were found guilty of two felony counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and two felony counts of child abuse, stemming from the deaths of their daughter Maliaka, 13, and son Maurice Jr., 12.
Prosecutors said the children were stabbed and decapitated in the family’s Lancaster home on Nov. 29, 2020. Authorities also said Taylor and Brothwell then forced the children’s younger brothers — who were 8 and 9 at the time — to view the bodies.
The surviving boys were later kept in their bedrooms for “several days” without food, according to a Nov. 18 release from Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
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The bodies were discovered only after the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a reported gas leak at the home, per CBS News.
A 10-year protective order for the surviving children was issued by the court on Monday, according to the outlet.
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” Hochman said in the release following the conviction in November. “Two innocent children were brutally murdered, and their young brothers were left to live through unimaginable horror.”
“The jury’s verdict delivers justice for these victims and sends a powerful message: Those who commit such evil acts will be held fully accountable,” he added.
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Brothwell maintained in court that she was innocent, saying she “did not murder my children,” and claimed she tried to save them, according to NBC4 Los Angeles. Her mother also said her daughter was innocent in a statement, adding that Taylor had “ruined so many lives.”
In response, the judge said there was no evidence of “genuine remorse” from the defendants and that there was “silence where accountability should be,” according to NBC4 Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office was contacted for comment.
