‘Unimaginable horror’: Parents commit unspeakable act against their own children, but what they forced their younger children to witness is pure evil

A California couple has been found guilty of killing two of their children in a case that has shocked the local community. Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, were convicted of murder and child abuse charges this week. The terrible crimes happened at their home in Lancaster on November 29, 2020, which was the Sunday right after Thanksgiving.

According to The Sun, the parents killed their 13-year-old daughter Maliaka and their 12-year-old son Maurice Jr. by stabbing them and cutting off their heads. The children were found in different rooms of the house. But what made this case even worse was what happened next. Taylor and Brothwell made their two other sons, who were only 8 and 9 years old, look at the dead bodies of their brother and sister. After that, they locked the two young boys in their rooms and did not give them any food for multiple days.

The top prosecutor in Los Angeles County, Nathan Hochman, said this was a horrible crime that destroyed a whole family. He explained that “two innocent children were brutally murdered, and their young brothers were left to live through unimaginable horror.” The two surviving boys had to go through something no child should ever experience.

How police found out about the murders

Nobody knew about the killings for several days after they happened. On December 4, 2020, firefighters went to the family’s house because someone reported a gas leak. People living nearby had also noticed a really bad smell coming from the home. 

At the same time, some of Taylor’s clients were getting worried because they had not heard from him in a while. He worked as a personal trainer and would normally keep in touch with the people he trained. When they went to his house to check on him, they also smelled the gas and called 911.

Police officers came to the house and made the awful discovery. They found the bodies of the two teenagers and also found the two younger boys who were still alive. Taylor was arrested right away on the same day. The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, talked to reporters and said the whole thing was really violent and brutal.

Brothwell was not arrested right away like her partner. At first, police just thought she might know something about what happened. But almost 10 months later, in September 2021, officers arrested her at a home in Tucson, Arizona, where she had been living. She was brought back to California to face charges. In other child safety news, a 2-year-old miraculously survived after falling six feet down an elevator shaft.

The legal case had some delays because there were concerns about whether Taylor was mentally capable of standing trial. Lawyers questioned if he could understand what was happening in court. But after some time, the case moved forward and eventually went to trial where a jury heard all the evidence.

Both Taylor and Brothwell will now spend the rest of their lives in prison with no chance of ever getting out. They could also get an extra six years and four months added to that sentence. The judge will officially decide their punishment on January 13, 2026. 

Hochman said the jury’s decision brings justice to the victims and shows that anyone who does something this evil will face serious consequences. Meanwhile, another disturbing parental behavior case involved adults trying to film teenage girls at a sleepover against their will.