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Lancaster Parents Sentenced to Consecutive Life Terms Without Parole for Killing Two Children

The judge cited extreme cruelty in imposing the sentences, ordering protections for the surviving boys.

Overview

  • Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa M. Strassner imposed two life-without-parole terms to run consecutively, plus six years.
  • A 10-year protective order covers the surviving sons, who were forced to view the bodies and confined without food, prosecutors said.
  • Jurors in November 2025 convicted Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 49, of two first-degree murders with special circumstances and two counts of child abuse.
  • The judge denied a new-trial motion and said she saw no evidence of genuine remorse or accountability.
  • Firefighters discovered the victims five days after the killings while responding to a reported gas leak at the Lancaster home.