A chilling crime was recently reported in California where a man killed and beheaded two of his kids and forced his other kids to live with them while he locked them in their rooms without food. Friends and family are in shock over this crime as they found the man always a mellow and reliable man.
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A disturbing incident reported, after Thanksgiving when 34-year-old father of four Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. beheaded his 12-year-old son Maurice Jr. and 13-year-old daughter Maliaka.
To make it worse, court documents reveal the dad had kept the corpse of his dead kids and forced his other kids to live with them.
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The sick man, who is a personal trainer by profession showed the dead bodies to his other two sons ages 8 and 9 and then locked them inside a room without food.
Taylor's clients after not reaching him for the week before contacted the police. According to ABC7, he was conducting his sessions through Zoom after the pandemic lockdown in Califrnia. However, he disappeared for a week.
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One of Taylor’s clients, writer, and attorney Howard Kern who had been training with Taylor for seven years called in a potential gas leak with the L.A. County Fire Department in order to get authorities to his house.
“I said, ‘I’m concerned,'” Kern explained. “We are concerned about a possible gas leak. There are four children and two adults — and we are concerned about their safety.”
“I knew they weren’t out of town,” another client who opted to call the Sheriff’s Department said. “They didn’t have money to travel.”
When the disturbing incident made it to the news, many of Taylor's clients were left in shock and denial as they described the man as 'mellow,' 'responsive' and 'reliable.'
The man even had no history of domestic abuse or violence.
The bodies were eventually recovered by the fire department at different rooms in Century Circle residence. Prosecutors reveal that the victims were stabbed on November 29. It is not clear whether he decapitated them before or after killing them. The motive behind this gruesome crime is also not clear yet.
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The man was arrested and was taken by the police strapped to a stretcher. He has been charged with murder and child abuse. The mother of the children was also in the house but the police have revealed that she is not a suspect in the case and has been investigated by authorities.
Lieutenant Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau added that the mother is still in contact with her two surviving children.
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It is not clear to the police what led to this disturbing and chilling incident to take place as the family has no record of calling to their house in years.
Lieutenant Dean updated that the two rescued have been investigated and it is highly likely as the mother is a victim herself as she was also locked in a separate room.
This horrifying incident is sure to pose a challenge for District Attorney George Gascón. The newly-elected official has been rather adamant in his stance, which is in accordance with the orders of Judge Gavin Newson, that the death penalty should be abolished moving forward.
Taylor has now become a high-profile killer and his disturbing crime may result in an appeal for the death penalty.
Friends and family have set up a Gofundme account for the victims of the family to help them out.
The man is yet to get his punishment but given the crime committed he is sure to face a tough trial. Reportedly, he will be arraigned on December 21 and awaits that day behind bars with a $4.2-million bond to his name and a maximum sentence of 57 years to life in prison.