Sacramento Mother and Boyfriend to Appear in Court on Murder Charges
Rebecca Thomas (L) and Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman (R)
SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento mother and her boyfriend, who were charged in the murder of her toddler last November, are scheduled to appear in Sacramento Superior Court on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.
Rebecca Thomas (34) and Taylor Montgomery-Gutzman (23) were arrested and booked into Sacramento Main Jail on November 23, 2016, and ineligible for bail. Thomas’ 22-month-old son Kash, who was born on December 24, 2014, was found dead on October 13, 2016, at her apartment in the 8000 block of Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento.
Police were called by an individual who said the child was not breathing. When they arrived, they performed CPR on the toddler, who was then taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead.
According to Child Protective Services records, the initial assessment by doctors who treated Kash listed strangulation as the cause of death. There was also a second-degree burn on the bottom of the child’s foot, possibly from a cigarette. Paramedics also said when they arrived at Thomas’s apartment that the child was bleeding from his mouth and had severe bruising to the side of his face.
Prosecutors allege the Thomas and Montgomery-Gutzman assaulted the child with great force. Both were charged with child endangerment, and Thomas faces an additional count of child endangerment to Kash’s twin brother.
Despite the charges, Thomas maintained her innocence last month in an interview saying, “I love my children.” She then refused to answer any further questions. Montgomery-Gutzman denied a request for an interview.
When the twins were born in late 2014, they were 32 weeks premature and faced medical problems that included narrow esophagi that made it difficult to eat. They were also both diagnosed with pharyngomalacia, a respiratory problem.
