The parents were also convicted of abusing two surviving sons, who now live under a protective order.
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County judge on Monday sentenced Lancaster residents Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell to two consecutive life-without-parole terms, plus six years, for killing and decapitating their two eldest children in 2020 and abusing their younger sons.
The sentencing closes a grim case that unfolded during the pandemic and moved through crowded court dockets before a jury reached verdicts last fall. Prosecutors said the parents fatally stabbed and decapitated a 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son on Nov. 29, 2020, then forced two younger boys to view the bodies and kept them in bedrooms without food. A special-circumstance finding of multiple murders required life without parole; the judge added consecutive terms and issued a 10-year protective order for the surviving children.
At the Antelope Valley Courthouse, Judge Lisa M. Strassner said the slain children had “no chance” and told the defendants that the surviving boys were made to witness “the aftermath.” The remains were discovered days after the killings when firefighters came for a reported gas leak and first responders could not reach Taylor, a personal trainer whose online clients had grown alarmed. Deputies arrested Taylor that week. Brothwell, who had left California, was arrested in 2021 in Arizona and returned to Los Angeles County to face charges.
Jurors convicted both defendants on Nov. 18, 2025, of two counts of first-degree murder with a multiple-murder special circumstance and two counts of felony child abuse. In court filings and testimony, prosecutors outlined a household where the children were isolated and tightly controlled. The defense argued that the parents struggled under pandemic disruptions and denied intent to kill. During Monday’s hearing, Brothwell said she tried to help the children; the judge said neither parent showed acceptance of responsibility. Officials did not disclose the surviving boys’ current placement, citing privacy rules.
California does not currently pursue the death penalty in Los Angeles County, leaving life without parole as the harshest available sentence for special-circumstance murder. With consecutive terms imposed, the Department of Corrections will house the pair in separate state prisons while any appeal moves forward. A notice of appeal is due within 60 days. Victim advocates from the District Attorney’s Office said they will continue support services for the surviving children and extended family.
Outside court, a neighbor described the quiet cul-de-sac and said residents still pass the house with unease. A former client of Taylor’s online fitness program said several customers messaged one another in late 2020 when he stopped responding, which contributed to the welfare checks that brought authorities to the home. “People knew something was wrong when he went silent,” the client said. In the gallery, a family representative read a statement about ongoing therapy and nightmares.
Both defendants were returned to state custody after the hearing. The court clerk set routine post-sentencing reviews this week, and the case will next appear on the appellate docket if the defense files on time.
Author note: Last updated February 4, 2026.