Newport Beach, CA — A 34-year-old man has been convicted in the grisly murder of his parents and their housekeeper more than six years ago, officials from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Victims and Suspect Background
Richard and Kim Nicholson grew concerned in the weeks leading up to their deaths about their 27-year-old son, Camden Burton Nicholson. They reported erratic behavior, drug and steroid use, excessive pornography consumption, and contact with escort services.
A private detective the couple hired said Camden had been a normal, happy child until a nine-month Mormon mission at age 19. Upon returning, he reportedly became severely depressed and began acting strangely.
Events Leading to the Murders
In December 2018, following a heated argument over entering a mental health and addiction treatment program, Camden Nicholson left the family home, stole his mother’s vehicle, and disappeared.
He later surfaced at a Marriott hotel, using his father’s credit card to spend lavishly. When the card was canceled, he sent angry text messages to his parents. Despite his requests for no contact, his parents insisted he return home.
The Murders
On February 11, 2019, Camden confronted his father at their Newport Beach home in the gated Bonita Canyon community, stabbing him repeatedly. When his mother returned shortly after, he attacked her with a metal statue and stabbed her to death in the garage.
The next morning, he attacked the family’s housekeeper, Maria Morse, stabbing her repeatedly and slitting her throat before hiding her body in a large plastic bin in the kitchen pantry, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
After the killings, Camden went on a shopping spree, spending hundreds at a Santa Ana dispensary and purchasing sex toys. The following evening, he drove his father’s car to a Kaiser Permanente facility in Irvine and called 911, claiming he had killed his parents in self-defense.
Discovery and Arrest
Newport Beach police conducted a welfare check at the residence and discovered the home in disarray, with blood throughout, and all three victims dead from stabbing, as per KTLA.
Conviction and Sanity Phase
This week, a Santa Ana jury found Camden Nicholson, 34, guilty of three counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders.
During the trial, his attorneys argued he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to a schizoaffective disorder diagnosis. The sanity phase of the trial is scheduled for October 23 and will determine whether he is criminally insane at the time of the murders.
Prosecutors said the verdicts will determine whether Camden Nicholson is sentenced to life in prison without parole or sent to a mental health facility.
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