A Los Angeles County jury has convicted two Lancaster parents in one of the region’s most disturbing child-murder cases, finding them guilty of killing their 12- and 13-year-old children in 2020.
Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, were found guilty Monday of two counts of first-degree murder, along with special-circumstance allegations for committing multiple murders, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The horrific killings took place on Nov. 29, 2020, when the couple stabbed and decapitated their children, Maurice (12) and Maliaka (13). Prosecutors said the parents then forced their two younger sons—who were just 8 and 9 years old—to view the bodies and confined them in their bedrooms without food for several days.
Both defendants now face life in prison without the possibility of parole, with sentencing scheduled for Jan. 13 at the Lancaster courthouse.
More on how murder cases are prosecuted in California can be found through the California Courts system.
A Crime Scene That Shocked Investigators
Deputies responded to the family’s home on Century Circle after the county fire department received a report of a possible gas leak. Fire personnel entered the residence and immediately alerted authorities after finding the two deceased children.
The bodies remained inside the home for five days before law enforcement discovered them.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed the family’s two surviving children and both parents were present at the scene.
Previous Court Proceedings
Taylor has been in custody since his arrest on Dec. 4, 2020. His criminal case was temporarily paused after the court raised concerns about his mental competency, though proceedings were later reinstated.
Brothwell was arrested in Tucson, Arizona, in September 2021, extradited to Los Angeles County the following month, and has remained in custody since, according to jail records.
Details on inmate records and custody status can be found through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
