Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Ex-Porterville Mom Suspected of Killing 3 Pleads Not Guilty to Carjacking
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
April 15, 2021

Share

BAKERSFIELD — A former Porterville woman suspected of killing her three children pleaded not guilty Wednesday to carjacking during an alleged escape.

Liliana Carrillo, 30, entered pleas in a Kern County courtroom to four felony counts of carjacking, attempted carjacking, and auto theft. Her bail was set at $2 million.

Carrillo’s three children were found dead Saturday by their maternal grandmother in her apartment in the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was arrested later that day in Tulare County.

Kern County prosecutors alleged that Carrillo crashed a car near Bakersfield, carjacked a truck from someone who stopped to help her, and tried to steal another truck before she was arrested Saturday afternoon in the mountain community of Ponderosa.

Carillo Lived in Porterville Until Late February

Ponderosa is near Porterville, where Carrillo and her family lived until Feb. 25, according to court records.

Authorities say Carrillo is suspected in the deaths of 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra. She hasn’t been criminally charged in their deaths pending an ongoing investigation.

Autopsies are pending to determine the cause of the children’s deaths.

Bitter Custody Dispute With Father of Children

Police haven’t disclosed a motive for the killings. But court filings showed there was a bitter custody dispute between Carrillo and the children’s father, Erik Denton.

The children had been staying with Carrillo, his ex-girlfriend.

Fearful for their safety, Denton petitioned a court for custody on March 1, alleging Carrillo was delusional and had taken the kids and refused to tell him where they were. Carrillo, in turn, filed a restraining order against him and claimed Denton was an alcoholic who may have sexually abused their eldest child.

Denton’s court filings tell of Carrillo’s post-partum depression following the birth of their middle child. She began therapy but quit. She self-medicated with marijuana, he claimed. In texts and social media posts, she said things like “I wish I never had kids” and threatened to kill herself.

Carrillo also believed she was “solely responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic, Denton wrote, and she thought that Porterville was home to a “giant sex trafficking ring.”

Carrillo sought a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County. Through the courts, Denton and Carrillo agreed to swap Denton’s days to see the children — a few hours every other Sunday.

Last Sunday was supposed to be just his second visit with the kids under the new schedule.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

DON'T MISS

Is It Bad to Chew Gum All Day?

DON'T MISS

Dollar Doubts Dominate Gathering of Global Economic Leaders

DON'T MISS

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

DON'T MISS

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

DON'T MISS

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

DON'T MISS

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

UP NEXT

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

UP NEXT

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

UP NEXT

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

UP NEXT

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

UP NEXT

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

UP NEXT

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

UP NEXT

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

UP NEXT

The Latest: Francis Is Remembered as a ‘Pope Among the People’ as He Is Laid to Rest

UP NEXT

Trump Now Doubts Putin Wants to End Ukraine War, a Day After Saying a Deal Was Close

UP NEXT

Fresno Elderly Woman Evicted, Forced to Leave Dogs Behind. One Still Needs a Home.

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

5 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

5 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

8 hours ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

8 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

8 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

8 hours ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

8 hours ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

9 hours ago

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

9 hours ago

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

9 hours ago

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine had left him concerned that Russia did not want to end ...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

4 hours ago

Is It Bad to Chew Gum All Day?

4 hours ago

Dollar Doubts Dominate Gathering of Global Economic Leaders

5 hours ago

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

5 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

8 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

8 hours ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

8 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend