California Son Convicted of Murdering His Parents and Housekeeper Inside Their $6 Million Home Hours After Being Released from a Psychiatric Ward
A California jury has found 34-year-old Camden Burton Nicholson guilty of the 2019 murders of his parents, Richard and Kim Nicholson, and their longtime housekeeper, Maria Morse, inside the family’s $6 million Newport Beach home. The verdict, announced this week, brings closure to one of Orange County’s most disturbing cases — one that began with a son’s struggles with mental health and ended with the destruction of an entire family.
Prosecutors described the killings as both brutal and senseless. Nicholson, who had just been released from a psychiatric facility hours earlier, returned home and unleashed what officials called a “rage-fueled rampage.” His parents, who had long tried to get him help for substance abuse and psychological instability, had reportedly given him an ultimatum — either seek treatment or move out of their home. That decision, investigators say, pushed him over the edge.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Nicholson fatally attacked his 64-year-old father, Richard, a respected physician, and his 61-year-old mother, Kim, before turning on Maria Morse, their housekeeper, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Authorities said the killings were methodical, showing clear intent despite Nicholson’s history of mental health struggles. The following hours painted an even darker picture — Nicholson reportedly spent hundreds of dollars on sex toys and drugs after the murders, using his parents’ credit cards in what prosecutors described as an attempt to “escape reality.”
Newport Beach police found the bodies after receiving a welfare check request from concerned friends and colleagues who hadn’t heard from the couple. When officers entered the home in the upscale Bonita Canyon gated community, they discovered a scene that investigators later said “reflected the depth of violence fueled by delusion and anger.”
During the trial, prosecutors played video evidence showing Nicholson purchasing items after the murders and attempting to flee. They argued that while he had been released from psychiatric care earlier that day, he was fully aware of his actions and the consequences. His defense team countered by emphasizing his long struggle with mental illness, pointing to his parents’ ongoing efforts to find help for him. However, the jury agreed with the prosecution’s stance that his actions were deliberate and premeditated.
Friends and family of the Nicholsons described Richard and Kim as generous, community-minded people who spent years trying to save their son. “They did everything they could,” one family friend told local media. “They loved their son and believed he could get better. They never gave up on him.” Maria Morse’s family, who attended every day of the trial, said they were grateful that justice was served, but no sentence could bring back the warmth and kindness she shared with those around her.
The tragedy has reignited discussions about the limits of mental health care in California — especially the process of releasing patients who may still pose a danger to themselves or others. Nicholson had been discharged from a psychiatric ward just hours before the killings, something prosecutors highlighted as part of a larger systemic problem. “This case is a reminder that mental health intervention must be taken seriously,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in a statement following the verdict.
Nicholson now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentencing will take place later this year, closing a painful chapter for three families whose lives were intertwined by tragedy. For many, the case stands as both a story of parental love pushed to its limits and a heartbreaking example of how untreated illness can turn fatal when intervention fails.
The gated streets of Bonita Canyon, once peaceful and quiet, still carry the shadow of what happened there five years ago. The Nicholsons’ home has since been sold, but neighbors say the story lingers — a chilling reminder that even behind the walls of wealth and comfort, heartbreak and chaos can quietly grow.
