California Parents Plead Not Guilty to Child Abuse, Murder Charges After Couple Decapitated Children

California parents had pled not guilty to murder and child abuse charges against them after they decapitated their children and showed the bodies to their surviving siblings.

The California parents, identified as Maurice J. Taylor Sr. and Natalie S. Brothwell, were charged with two counts of murder each for the deaths of their son Maurice Jr., 12; and daughter Maliaka, 13, according to a Daily Mail report.

The children were allegedly killed on November 29 last year in their Lancaster home, which is about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

The children were found in separate bedrooms with stab wounds and lacerations five days later.

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris called the scene "brutal."

The couple is also facing child abuse charges for their two sons, aged eight and nine, who were shown the bodies of their siblings.

They were then locked in a room without food, according to prosecutors.

California Parents Murder and Child Abuse Charges

Taylor is a personal trainer in Santa Monica and had been holding virtual sessions with clients from his Lancaster home due to the COVID pandemic, according to a New York Post report.

Some customers had alerted the authorities about a possible gas leak when they had not heard from Taylor in several days.

Los Angeles County firefighters visited the home on November 29 last year and found the headless bodies of the children.

Taylor was then arrested, and prosecutors accused him of decapitating the children and forcing the two younger children to live in view of their dead siblings' remains for five days.

In December, Taylor noted in court that he wanted to represent himself in his trial, which prompted an LA County judge to direct a mental competency exam.

Taylor said in court that he has taken criminal justice classes, adding that he knows his rights. He cited religious reasons for wanting to represent himself.

He added that he has been seriously abused in prison and that there is a hit out for him now that he has proof of.

The judge noted that it was a risky decision to represent himself and would create more of a "handicap" for Taylor than an advantage, according to a Law and Crime report.

Taylor insisted and said that he trusts that God would help him in this because he believes he is "in the right."

He said that police had already tried to kill, asserting that his lawyer's work would delay the case and put him in more danger.

He then referred to the judge and implied that the judge could be in on the plot against him as well.

The judge assured that they are not part of it before ordering a mental health evaluation.

Meanwhile, the children's mother, Brothwell, was arrested last September at her home in Tucson, Arizona. She is currently facing the same counts as Taylor, according to a Fox News report.

Taylor faces 57 years and four months to life in prison if he is convicted of the charges against him. However, it is not yet clear if Brothwell will be facing the same sentence.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mother of children found decapitated in Lancaster charged in their killings - from FOX 11 Los Angeles