Lancaster parents who decapitated 2 of their 4 children sentenced

Mother of children found decapitated in Lancaster charged in their killings

An Arizona woman accused of killing her two children, who were decapitated in their Southern California home last year, has been arrested at her Tucson home, authorities said Wednesday.

LANCASTER, Calif. - A Lancaster couple will spend the rest of their lives behind bars for the brutal 2020 killings of their two eldest children.

What we know:

Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 49, were ordered by a judge on Monday to serve the life terms consecutively, calling the two children "helpless" and saying that the couple forced their surviving two children to "look at the aftermath" of the 2020 stabbings and decapitations of the couple's 12-year-old son, Maurice, and 13-year-old daughter, Maliaka.

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The two were also found guilty of two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The backstory:

On November 29, 2020, Maurice and Maliaka were stabbed and decapitated inside their home on Century Circle. 

Following the killings, their younger brothers—then ages 8 and 9—were confined to their bedrooms without food for several days and forced by their parents to look at their siblings' bodies.

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The bodies remained in the home for five days until a gas leak report brought authorities to the scene. 

Taylor, a personal trainer, was arrested shortly after, while Brothwell was apprehended nearly a year later in Arizona. Both were convicted last November of two counts of first-degree murder for the killing, with jurors finding true the special- circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

What they're saying:

Judge Lisa M. Strassner did not hold back during sentencing, addressing the lack of accountability from the parents. 

"There is silence where accountability should be," Strassner said, noting the children were "helpless" against their parents.

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Brothwell maintained her innocence during the hearing, telling the court, "I did not murder my children," and claiming she tried to save them. 

However, District Attorney Nathan Hochman characterized the events as a "monstrous act of cruelty," stating the verdict "sends a powerful message: Those who commit such evil acts will be held fully accountable."

Timeline:

Nov 29, 2020: Maurice and Maliaka are killed in their Lancaster home.

Dec 4, 2020: Authorities discover the bodies during a welfare check; Taylor is arrested.

Sept 2021: Brothwell is taken into custody in Tucson, Arizona.

Nov 2025: A jury finds both parents guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse.

Feb 2, 2026: Both defendants are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

What's next:

The sentencing to consecutive life terms effectively ensures that neither Taylor nor Brothwell will ever be released. 

While Taylor’s defense attorney, Christopher C. Chaney, filed a motion for a new trial, it was ultimately rejected by the court. 

The focus now shifts to the long-term care and recovery of the two surviving sons, who are now 13 and 14 years old.