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VAN NUYS (CNS) - A woman who police say admitted killing three of her preteen children in the family's West Hills home -- possibly with assistance from her 16-year-old son -- made her initial court appearance today, but her arraignment on three counts of murder was postponed.
Angela Dawn Flores, 38, was arrested Sunday -- Mother's Day -- and remains jailed in lieu of $6 million bail. During a brief appearance at a Van Nuys courthouse, Flores agreed to the delay in her arraignment, which was rescheduled for Aug. 10. Flores is accused of killing three of her children, identified by the Los Angeles County coroner's office as Natalie Flores, 12, Kevin Yanez, 10, and Nathan Yanez, 8. Authorities have not disclosed a cause of death, and coroner's officials said there was a security hold on the case.
On Wednesday, an unidentified 16-year-old boy denied a Juvenile Court petition charging him with one count of murder and is due back in a juvenile court May 25, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. No further details were immediately available involving the juvenile suspect, who was arrested and booked on suspicion of one count of murder. Police declined to release any information on the juvenile suspect, but Fox 11 -- citing law enforcement sources -- reported that the teen was Flores' son.
``We all grieve for these children,'' District Attorney George Gascón said Tuesday in a statement announcing the charges against the mother. ``The loss of their young lives is a tragedy that has affected our entire community. My prosecutors are working to hold accountable those responsible for their deaths.'' No indication has been given about a possible motive for the killings.
Police responded to the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard at about 7:40 a.m. Sunday regarding ``a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon suspect at a residence,'' according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers found the children unresponsive, the LAPD reported. Paramedics were called to the scene and determined the children were dead.
``The children's mother, 38-year-old Angela Flores, and a 16-year-old subject were detained for further investigation,'' police said in a statement Monday. ``During the subsequent investigation, Flores admitted to killing her children with the assistance of the 16-year-old subject.''
Neighbors told reporters at the scene the mother appeared to be acting erratically the night before, but said the family had only recently moved into the neighborhood and appeared normal. One woman told ABC7 she remembers waking up in the middle of the night, hearing what she described as the sound of screaming. Another neighbor told the Los Angeles Times that she heard Flores screaming late Saturday night, then saw her walk into a neighbor's yard with a Bible and candles, which she lit.