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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A judge has declined to order the immediate production of personnel records of 12 Los Angeles police officers involved in a civil case involving a mother who allegedly killed her three children in 2021 in Reseda.
In his Los Angeles Superior Court suit filed in April 2022 against the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, plaintiff Erik Denton alleges that LAPD officers were negligent and did not take seriously the indications that the mental health of Liliana Carrillo, the mother of the two girls and one boy, was declining, and did not share information they had with county social workers. Denton was the children's father.
A report published by the county Office of Child Protection after the killings stated that Denton's cousin, emergency room physician Dr. Teri Miller, pleaded with officers to help and expressed concern that Carrillo might kill the children, but her concerns "fell on deaf ears," the plaintiff's lawyers state in their court papers.
But on Monday, Judge Lee Arian found insufficient legal grounds to order that the personnel records of the specific LAPD officers be turned over to Denton's legal team. Arian heard arguments on Dec. 8.
"The apparent information (Denton) wants the court to find actionable ... is the alleged statement by Dr. Miller to the LAPD that Ms. Carrillo may kill the children" the judge wrote. "But, he provides no information about the basis for Dr. Miller's stated fear."
Even more significant, Denton's lawyer's declaration does not provide a reliable basis for the judge to conclude that Miller even made the statement, Arian further wrote.
"Rather, the support comes from a report from the Los Angeles County Office of Child Protection referencing a Los Angeles Times article that refers to Dr. Miller's alleged statement," the judge said, adding that he needs more information about Miller's alleged remarks.
The judge's ruling was "without prejudice," meaning Denton's attorneys are free to renew the motion with new information.
Carrillo, 32, has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to three murder charges stemming from the April 10, 2021, killings of her 6-month- old daughter Sierra, 3-year-old daughter Joanna and 2-year-old son Terry. Carrillo allegedly drowned the victims.
The murder charge involving her youngest daughter includes an allegation that she used a knife during the commission of the crime. The child suffered a stab wound to the chest that struck her left lung, according to a deputy medical examiner.
Denton's attorneys further maintained that evidence they compiled shows the LAPD took a report of possible molestation of the children in February 2021, yet did not prepare a required suspected child abuse electronic report or notify the county Department of Children and Family Services.
A month later, LAPD officers responded to a call by Denton, who had an emergency custody order directing that Carrillo turn over custody of the children to the plaintiff, according to Denton's attorneys' court papers, which further state that the police report documents that Carrillo was possibly suffering from an unknown mental illness.
In an interview from jail following her arrest, Carrillo told a reporter for the Bakersfield NBC affiliate KGET that she killed her children because she feared their abuse and sexual assault at the hands of others.
"I drowned them," she said of her children. "I wasn't about to hand my children off to be further abused."
When asked by the KGET reporter if she regretted her actions, she said, "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 life."