A California couple has been convicted in a horrifying case that left two of their children dead and their community shaken.
Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, along with two counts of child abuse, according to a Nov. 18 announcement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury determined that on Nov. 29, 2020, the couple killed their 13-year-old daughter, Maliaka, and 12-year-old son, Maurice Jr., inside their Lancaster home. Prosecutors said the couple then forced their two younger sons, who were just 8 and 9 at the time, to witness the aftermath before confining them to their rooms without food for several days. No new update has been released on the surviving children.
Authorities were alerted after reports of a potential gas leak at the home. Around the same time, some of Taylor’s personal training clients contacted officials when he failed to respond to messages, The Los Angeles Times reported. When sheriff’s detectives arrived on Dec. 3, they discovered the two children in separate bedrooms.
Taylor was arrested the following day. Brothwell, initially identified only as a person of interest, was taken into custody in Tucson, Arizona, in September 2021. Both parents had pleaded not guilty to the charges in February 2022.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman condemned the crimes in the announcement, calling the case “a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” and adding that the verdict “delivers justice for these victims” and affirms that those responsible for such acts will be fully held to account.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13. Both parents face life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional six years and four months.
If you or someone you know suspects child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit childhelp.org. The hotline is free, confidential, available 24/7, and offers support in more than 170 languages.
