Parents sentenced to life for killing 2 of their kids, forcing younger siblings to view their decapitated bodies

LANCASTER, Calif. (TCN) -- A mother and father will spend the rest of their lives in prison for the 2020 murders of two of their children. 

The Los Angeles Times reports Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and his wife, Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 49, were found guilty in November 2025 of two counts of first-degree murder. On Feb. 2, they were each sentenced to six years in prison plus two consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole. The court placed their two surviving children under a 10-year protective order.

In November 2020, Taylor and Brothwell stabbed and decapitated their 12-year-old son, Maurice, and their 13-year-old daughter, Maliaka, and forced the children’s younger brothers, ages 8 and 9, to view the bodies. The boys were then confined to their rooms for several days without food. 

After the couple was convicted in November 2025, Los Angeles County District Attorney said the case was “a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” KTLA reports.

Taylor’s attorney reportedly filed a motion for a new trial, but it was rejected, KTTV reports. At the sentencing, Judge Lisa Strassner said, “There is silence where accountability should be,” KTTV reports. 

MORE:
Parents sentenced for murders of 2 of their children — NBC Los Angeles

California parents convicted of murder after decapitating 2 of their kids, abusing 2 others — True Crime News