On Nov. 18, a jury convicted Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. (39) and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell (48) of stabbing and decapitating their 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son on Nov. 29, 2020, in Lancaster, California. Prosecutors say the couple forced their younger sons (then 8 and 9) to view the bodies and confined them without food for several days. Both defendants pleaded not guilty in February 2022 but were found guilty at trial. Sentencing is set for Jan. 13; each faces life without parole plus a consecutive term totaling six years and four months.
Parents Convicted of Stabbing and Decapitating Two Children; Younger Siblings Forced to Witness
On Nov. 18, a jury convicted Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. (39) and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell (48) of stabbing and decapitating their 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son on Nov. 29, 2020, in Lancaster, California. Prosecutors say the couple forced their younger sons (then 8 and 9) to view the bodies and confined them without food for several days. Both defendants pleaded not guilty in February 2022 but were found guilty at trial. Sentencing is set for Jan. 13; each faces life without parole plus a consecutive term totaling six years and four months.
05:39 PM, 11/19/2025Society
A jury on Nov. 18 convicted Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, of brutally killing two of their children in Lancaster, California. The pair were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and two counts of child abuse.
Prosecutors say that on Nov. 29, 2020, Taylor and Brothwell stabbed and decapitated their daughter, 13-year-old Maliaka Taylor, and their son, 12-year-old Maurice Taylor Jr., inside the family home. Two younger sons, then ages 8 and 9, were reportedly forced to view the victims' bodies and were later confined to their bedrooms without food for several days.
The deaths came to light after a possible gas leak was reported at the residence and acquaintances raised concerns when Taylor stopped responding to clients. Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide detectives arrived at the home on Dec. 3, 2020, and discovered the two children in separate bedrooms. Maurice Taylor Sr. was arrested on Dec. 4, 2020; Brothwell was arrested in Tucson, Arizona, in September 2021 after investigators named her a person of interest.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse charges in February 2022. Following a trial, a jury found the evidence sufficient to convict them on Nov. 18, 2024.
"This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family," said Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman. "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 that those who commit such evil acts will be held fully accountable."
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13. Each parent faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive term totaling six years and four months under the charges they were convicted of.
The district attorney's office has not publicly updated the condition or whereabouts of the two surviving children since the verdict.
If you suspect child abuse or need help, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. Calls are toll-free, confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.