Tag: Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman

Sentinel staff report–
The district attorney’s office announced Tuesday that a verdict was reached by a jury in the case of a 22-month-old child who was strangled to death in Citrus Heights two years ago.

Rebecca Thomas, 36, and her 26-year-old boyfriend Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman were both convicted by a jury of second-degree murder of Kash Thomas and felony child abuse involving his 22-month-old twin brother, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Montgomery-Gutzman was also found guilty of assault on a child causing death.

The child’s death occurred on Oct. 13, 2016, when police responded to the 8000 block of Auburn Boulevard and found him “not breathing.” He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Following a police investigation, authorities determined the child did not die of natural causes and arrested the couple several weeks after the incident occurred.

The DA’s office said a jury found Montgomery-Gutzman had strangled Kash Thomas to death, and the child’s mother “had seen injuries on her children prior to the murder, but nonetheless left the 22-month-old twins in Montgomery-Gutzman’s care.”  Thomas had also been told to seek medical attention for both children, but did not do so.

Montgomery-Gutzman faces a maximum sentence of 31 years to life in prison, while the children’s mother is facing up to 21 years to life in prison. A sentencing date has been set for July 12 at 9 a.m.

See latest Citrus Heights arrest logs: Click here

40 days after announcing an investigation into the death of a two-year-old on Auburn Boulevard, Citrus Heights police said in a Thanksgiving Day news release that the child’s mother and live-in boyfriend were arrested this week on murder charges.

“After a thorough investigation, numerous interviews, [and] the collection and examination of evidence, it was determined the child did not die of natural causes,” police said in a news release authored by Det. Vincent Young. The detective said the investigation resulted in “probable cause to believe the mother and live-in boyfriend were responsible for the child’s death.”

34-year-old Rebecca Thomas and Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman, 23, were both arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Jail on Wednesday.

Although the short police news release did not include details on how the child died, Sacramento County Jail records show the pair’s charges include “assault resulting in death of a child under 8 years of age,” and endangering the life or health of a child. Both are ineligible for bail.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and will be forwarded to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. No other details were provided and police said no other information is releasable.

>>See latest Citrus Heights police logs

In an initial news release about the investigation last month, police said they had begun an investigation into the Oct. 13 death of a two-year-old child on the 8000 block of Auburn Boulevard.

Police said officers responded to the location and rendered medical aid until Metro Fire arrived on scene. The child had been reported as “not breathing.”

Medical personnel continued CPR and the child was taken to the hospital, before being pronounced deceased. Police previously stated that the deceased child and twin sibling had “existing medical complications.”

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