A Lancaster, California, father has been arrested and charged with the killing of his two young daughters in what the Los Angeles County District Attorney described as “an astonishing act of brutality.”
Prospero Guadalupe Serna, a 38-year-old father, now faces the most severe legal consequences after authorities say he murdered his two daughters, seven-year-old Ziasia and three-year-old Najila Serna. This brutal event occurred on the night of October 29, 2023, and has since cast a dark shadow over the Lancaster community.
The attack not only claimed the lives of the two young girls but also resulted in injuries to their siblings, who thankfully survived the ordeal with non-fatal lacerations. The mother of the children, upon realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately contacted authorities for help.
When the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the family’s residence, they were met with a gruesome scene. They discovered the two girls had been both beaten and stabbed. The search for the perpetrator ended when Serna was located after he had fled the family home. His apprehension was marked by further violence as he engaged in a physical confrontation with the deputies.
Facing multiple charges now, Serna’s list includes two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two charges of assaulting a child under the age of eight resulting in death, and a charge of child abuse. If the court finds him guilty of these charges, Serna could be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The surviving children, having witnessed such tragedy, are now under the care of protective services. The focus is on their immediate safety and the provision of a stable environment moving forward. While the authorities have not yet determined why Serna would commit such a violent act against his own children, he has a history of restraining orders against him for domestic violence and had custody of his children taken away in 2022. The case continues to unfold as the community seeks to understand the unthinkable.
