In a disturbing case that has shocked the community, a California couple has been found guilty of first-degree murder after fatally stabbing and decapitating their two older children in 2020, and inflicting severe abuse on their two younger sons, the court announced Monday. The verdict comes after what prosecutors described as an “unthinkable horror” endured by the family’s youngest members.
Parents convicted of murder and child abuse
On November 18, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office revealed that 39-year-old Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. and 48-year-old Natalie Sumiko Brothwell were found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse in circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death. The case stems from the deaths of their 12-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, whose bodies were discovered after five days when neighbors reported a foul odour.
The horrific details of the crime
According to prosecutors, the pair fatally stabbed their son and daughter on November 20, 2020, in Lancaster, California, then decapitated their bodies and held the younger boys-aged 8 and 9-in their rooms for days without food. The siblings were forced to witness the aftermath of their siblings’ deaths before authorities were alerted.
Upcoming sentencing and potential life term
Both defendants face sentencing on January 13, 2026. If convicted as adjudicated, they could each receive life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional term of six years and four months.
