A California couple has been convicted of murdering two of their children and decapitating their bodies, and now faces life behind bars.
Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and his partner, 48-year-old Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and two counts of child abuse, according to a Nov. 18 news release from Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office.
A jury determined that on Nov. 29, 2020, Taylor and Brothwell fatally stabbed their 13-year-old daughter, Maliaka, and 12-year-old son, Maurice Jr., inside the family’s home in Lancaster, Calif., and then decapitated them.
Prosecutors said the couple then forced their two younger sons, ages 8 and 9 at the time, to look at the bodies of their siblings. Afterward, the surviving boys were confined to their bedrooms without food for “several days,” according to the release. No update was provided on the condition or current circumstances of the surviving children.
The bodies of Maliaka and Maurice Jr. were discovered after a possible gas leak was reported at the residence. Taylor’s personal training clients had also grown concerned when he stopped responding to messages and alerted authorities, The Los Angeles Times reported.
When Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives arrived at the home on Friday, Dec. 3, they found the decapitated children in separate bedrooms.
Taylor was arrested the following day. Brothwell, initially identified only as a person of interest, was later arrested in Tucson, Ariz., in September 2021. Both pleaded not guilty to the murder and child abuse charges in February 2022.
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” Hochman said in the news release. “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.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13. Both Taylor and Brothwell face life in state prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional consecutive sentence of six years and four months.
