This is one of the most brutal crimes to occur in this California region.
Maurice Taylor Jr, 12, and Maliaka Taylor, 13, were fatally stabbed on November 29, 2020, in Lancaster, Los Angeles county, the killer was their own father, the 34-year-old personal trainer Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr. however, the most horrifying is that Taylor was not only accused of stabbing his own children, he also allegedly beheads his two children.
And in a further disturbing twist, court papers revealed that Taylor kept the children’s remains in his house for several days, among his other living children. The personal trainer allegedly showed the corpses to his two surviving sons, aged eight and nine, before locking them in their rooms without food.
According to Deputy Eric Ortiz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the children’s bodies were found by authorities five days later.
In the midst of California’s Coronavirus lockdown, Taylor reportedly started teaching exercise sessions through Zoom, but Taylor had been noticeably unavailable for days. Taylor’s clients got in touch with the police, after failing to reach Taylor the previous week.
Eventually, Howard Kern, a writer, and attorney who was one of Taylor’s clients, and has been his trainer for seven years, reported a possible gas leak to L.A. in order to get authorities to the man’s home. That’s when the County Fire Department consequently discovered the victims along with what Taylor has done.
Taylor was then charged with the felonies of two murder counts and two counts of child abuse in relation to his two other sons.
Now, in his court appearance, Taylor refused to have an attorney instead he wants to represent himself. At the beginning of the hearing, Taylor claimed that the other prisoners were attempting to kill him and wanted to see him dead.
And as an “educated fitness trainer who is equal to being a doctor,” Taylor also argued that he was entitled to preferential treatment in addition to asserting that his life was in danger.
The children’s mother was discovered to have also been in the house during the murders, but authorities say she is not currently a suspect and has already been questioned thoroughly by investigators.
Lieutenant Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau added that the woman is still in contact with her two surviving children.
In any case, the claims against Taylor read like a horror story.
Rex Perris, the mayor of Lancaster, said the two victims had been decapitated.
“It was pretty brutal. The world has been shredded and we are starting to see the aftermath,” he said, referring to the pandemic which he added has left people feeling “desperate”.
“I remember when each of the four kids was born, and I remember the excitement there was surrounding them. As they grew up, it was obvious they had a sense of adventure and new experiences, even at a young age. Maliaka was very smart, very adventurous, and observant.” Lauren Henry a neighbor used to live next door to Taylor said, “She really would have grown to reach her potential. Mo Jr. looked up to his big sister and admired all she did. I’m sure they stuck very close to each other as they grew older, and I know they were together in the end. I will always remember their smiling faces.”
Taylor is currently being kept in custody after posting a $4.2 million bond. He may spend at least 57 years in prison if found guilty of all the charges.
