A mother and father were convicted of decapitating two of their children and then making their two younger sons view their siblings’ headless bodies.

Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell were found guilty Tuesday of murdering their daughter, Maliaka, 13, and son Maurice Jr., 12, in the family’s home in Lancaster, California, in November 2020.

After the savage killings, the parents made their two younger sons, ages 8 and 9, look at their older siblings’ bodies before locking them in their bedrooms without food or water “for several days,” according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement Tuesday.

Natalie Sumiko Brothwell was found guilty of murdering her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. Pima County Sheriff’s Department

Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. and his wife made their two younger sons view their siblings’ headless bodies. Law&Crime Network

“Two innocent children were brutally murdered, and their young brothers were left to live through unimaginable horror.”

The children’s bodies and the surviving brothers were found days later after firefighters responded to a gas leak at the house on Dec. 3, the Los Angeles Times reported.

KABC

The horrific murders took place in the family’s home in Lancaster, California. KABC

Neighbors had reported a smell emanating from the house and clients for Taylor, a personal trainer who was working remotely, reported their concerns to authorities after he stopped showing up for virtual sessions and wasn’t returning messages.

Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris said at the time — which was during the middle of the Covid pandemic — that it appeared that the economy, closed schools and public spaces created a stressful environment in the home.

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The parents were found guilty of two felony counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and two felony counts of child abuse. 

They are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 13 and are facing life in prison.