Inset: Camden Burton Nicholson (Orange County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Orange County Superior Court (Google Maps).
In a tragic turn of events, a 34-year-old Californian, Camden Burton Nicholson, faces a lifetime in prison for the brutal murder of his parents following their intervention regarding his mental health and substance abuse issues. This heart-wrenching case unfolded nearly six years ago as the family took drastic steps to help their son.
Authorities revealed that the morning after the fatal confrontation with his parents, Nicholson also murdered their housekeeper, 57-year-old Maria Morse, as she arrived for work. On Wednesday, an Orange County jury found Nicholson guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his parents, 64-year-old Richard Nicholson and 61-year-old Kim Nicholson, along with Morse. In addition, he was convicted on a special circumstance charge for committing multiple murders.
The prosecution painted a disturbing picture of Nicholson’s actions following the murders. He allegedly stole his parents’ vehicle and embarked on a series of extravagant purchases, reportedly spending their money on a shopping spree that included a visit to a Santa Ana marijuana dispensary and the purchase of sex toys.
During the trial, it was emphasized that Nicholson was entirely reliant on his parents, as detailed in a courtroom report by the Orange County Register. The couple had warned him that their support would be withdrawn unless he addressed his addiction and mental health challenges.
The violent spree began on February 11, 2019, when, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Nicholson confronted his father in their Newport Beach residence. He stabbed him repeatedly before moving the body into a bathroom and sealing the door to contain the blood.
He then dragged his father’s body into the bathroom and reportedly plugged the bottom of the door to prevent his father’s blood from seeping out the bottom and into the hall.
“When Nicholson’s mother returned home a few minutes later, he hit her with a metal statue and repeatedly stabbed her, killing her in the garage,” prosecutors wrote. “The next morning, Nicholson attacked the family’s longtime housekeeper, Maria Morse, when she arrived to clean the house. Nicholson stabbed Morse repeatedly and slit her throat before stuffing her body in a large plastic bin in the kitchen pantry.”
The morning after he killed Morse, authorities said Nicholson stole his father’s car and drove to a Kaiser Permanente facility in Irvine. He called 911 from the facility and told the emergency dispatcher had killed his parents, claiming he did so in self-defense “because they were trying to kill him.”
Officers with the Newport Beach Police Department then conducted a welfare check on the Nicholson home, which they described as being in “disarray” with “blood throughout the house.” All three victims were still inside.
The sanity phase of Nicholson’s trial, which will determine whether he was criminally insane at the time of the murders, began on Thursday.
