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LANCASTER: A Southern California father of four has been charged with beheading his teenage son and 12-year-old daughter and abusing his other two children, prosecutors said.
Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr, 34, faces two felony counts, each of murder and child abuse under circumstances or conditions that can cause serious bodily injury or death, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday (December 8).
Taylor will be arraigned on December 21. It was not known Wednesday if he has a lawyer.
Taylor is charged with fatally stabbing the 13-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl on Nov. 29 in Lancaster, according to a news release. Their other two sons, ages eight and nine, were allegedly shown the bodies of their brothers and forced to stay in their rooms for several days without food, prosecutors said.
Taylor worked at a physical therapy center in Santa Monica, but had been conducting online training sessions during the coronavirus pandemic. Some of his clients contacted authorities after he failed to show up for scheduled appointments, leading to the discovery of the victims, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Taylor was held in lieu of a $ 4.2 million bond. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of more than 57 years to life in state prison.
