Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. and Natalie Brothwell: Couple decapitated two children, abused two others
WARNING: GRAPHIC
A couple has been found guilty of the gruesome murder and dismemberment of two of their children and forcing their younger siblings to view the bodies.
Personal trainer Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, stabbed to death their 13-year-old daughter Maliaka and 12-year-old son Maurice and then decapitated them inside the family’s California home on November 29, 2020.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In a shockingly vile move, the pair then forced their two younger sons aged eight and nine to view the bodies before locking them away in their rooms without food for several days, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” DA Nathan J. Hochman said after they were convicted this week.
“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.”
The children’s bodies were only found on December 3, days after they were murdered, when firefighters responded to a gas leak at the house, the LA Times reports.
Taylor’s clients, who had trained with him over zoom during the COVID pandemic, alerted authorities after he missed a session and didn’t respond to their calls.
Soon after the murders came to light, Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris reportedly said the economy, closed school and public spaces during the COVID pandemic had created a stressful environment in the home.
A jury found the pair guilty of two felony counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance that each defendant was convicted of more than one murder in the same case and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
They now face a maximum sentence of life without parole plus a consecutive sentence of six years and four months in state prison.
The pair are due to be sentenced at Antelope Valley Courthouse on January 13.
Authorities have not provided an update on the welfare of the two surviving children.
