A Southern California couple was convicted of murder and child abuse for stabbing and decapitating two of their children, then forcing their two younger children to view the bodies while keeping them locked up for days without food, officials said.
Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, were each found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, along with the special circumstance of multiple murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. They were also each convicted of child abuse likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
A Los Angeles jury found them guilty on Nov. 18 in what prosecutors described as a "gruesome" case. They face up to life in prison without the possibility of parole and a consecutive sentence of six years and four months, and are set to be sentenced in January 2026, the DA's office said. Their attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Nov. 19.
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
The killings took place on Nov. 29, 2020, at the family home in Lancaster, in the Antelope Valley area of northern Los Angeles County.
