A Los Angeles fitness trainer accused of killing his two children was taken away from his home strapped to a gurney, according to Mail Online.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, L.A. County Fire Department arrived at a home off of Century Circle a little before 8 a.m. on December 4 after several of Maurice Taylor Sr.’s clients called about a possible gas leak at the residence. Once inside, they found the deceased bodies of a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
Deputies arrived and noted that both children had “lacerations and stab wounds.”
The Mayor of Lancaster, R. Rex Perris, said both of the children were decapitated, according to CBS 2.
“It was pretty brutal,” Perris said.
According to Lt. Brandon Dean, the children’s bodies were in separate bedrooms. Two other children were also in the home but appeared uninjured. They were taken to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.
Taylor, who police said was the father of the children, was arrested on suspicion of murder. The children’s mother, who was also in the home, was taken in for questioning but hasn’t been charged.
According to police, there wasn’t a gas leak at the home. The suspect’s clients from a Santa Monica physical therapy and fitness center told police that they not heard from him in a while and became worried when they couldn’t reach him.
Attorney Howard Kern, who was one of Taylor’s clients, said he told police he was concerned something may have happened inside Taylor’s home.
Ken added that Taylor had been “living under a tremendous amount of pressure” and had a troublesome marriage; his wife reportedly made calls to him at work, yelling at him.
“It was embarrassing — you could hear her yelling at him,” Kern said. “He’d be very apologetic and she’d be yelling at him.”
Another client, who said Taylor had been working from home due to the pandemic, called him a “mellow and reliable,” while another client said she feared something was wrong when Taylor failed to show up for scheduled Zoom meetings.
“We were afraid of carbon monoxide poisoning, or they were all dead from falling asleep,” the woman said.
Meanwhile, neighbors described Taylor’s home as “strange.” A homeowner that lives near the Taylor residence said he was surprised to hear that four children lived in the home, adding that he only saw two children in the years that the Taylor family lived there.
”I remember that house just seemed weird anytime I was there,” the neighbor said. “I never saw anybody come out of that house. It almost seemed like the windows were all blacked out.”
Taylor remains behind bars on a $2 million bond. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
