#California Mother Confesses To Drowning Her Three Children In Shocking Jailhouse Video

This is absolutely horrifying, and a BIG reminder that we are still so far behind when it comes to sincerely supporting mothers (the literal life-givers of society) and their mental health.

A California woman suspected of murdering her three children, who were found dead in their home last weekend, has confessed to the crime.

On Thursday, Liliana Carrillo told KGET-TV from the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, California she wanted to “protect” her kids from their allegedly abusive father, claiming he was involved in human trafficking. The 30-year-old and her estranged spouse Erik Denton were embroiled in a messy custody battle at the time. Carrillo said:

“I drowned them. I did it as softly. I don’t know how to explain it. I hugged them. I kissed them. I was apologizing the whole time. I loved my kids.”

Related: Teen Girl & BF Allegedly Murdered Father So They Could Run Away Together

She continued:

“I didn’t want them to be further abused. I loved my kids. I wish this didn’t have to be the case, but I promised to protect them.”

In case you missed it, the three kids — Joanna, 3, Terry, 2, and Sierra, 6 months — were found dead by their maternal grandmother in their Reseda apartment on Saturday. Carrillo was missing from the scene but was arrested that same day after carjacking a pick-up truck from people who stopped to help get her car out of a ditch. The mom told the broadcaster she planned to kill herself following the murder:

“I tried to drive off the top of a cliff and die.”

As we mentioned before, the couple had been in the midst of a heated custody dispute. Denton told the LA Times that Carillo was supposed to give the children over to him on Sunday — the one day every other week he was allowed to see them. Per the outlet, he had requested a sole custody on March 1 and petitioned for a mental health evaluation. Denton alleged the woman had become increasingly delusional, and the children weren’t safe in her care anymore.

According to ABC News, he also claimed she quit therapy and self-medicated with marijuana following the birth of their middle child. Carrillo allegedly penned texts and social media posts threatening to kill herself and wishing to have “never had kids.” Even more, the California resident believed she was “solely responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic and thought her city had become a “giant sex trafficking ring.”

In response, Carrillo sought a temporary domestic violence restraining order against him, where she alleged her ex was an alcoholic and sexually abused their eldest daughter.

In her interview, she revealed she had dealt with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder her entire life and had sought treatment for her postpartum depression. Still, she claimed her husband posed a threat to the kids as they had shown signs of abuse. Carrillo said she asked for help from social workers and law enforcement but feared “they were just going to hand them off” to Denton.

Carrillo went on to tell the TV station she promised her three youngsters when they were born she would protect them and didn’t want them to be further abused.

“I wish my kids were alive, yes. Do I wish that I didn’t have to do that? Yes. But I prefer them not being tortured and abused on a regular basis for the rest of their lives.”

As of right now, she has not been charged with the children’s deaths. However, Carrillo has decided to plead not guilty to the carjacking and other charges. Take a look at the shocking interview (below):