California woman says she drowned children to protect them

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A California woman says in a jailhouse interview that she drowned her three young children to protect them from abuse by their father in the midst of a custody battle.

Laura Carrillo was interviewed Thursday by KGET-TV.

Carrillo, 30, alleges that her boyfriend, Erik Denton, had sexually abused the children and says she regrets killing them but felt it was the only way to keep them safe. Carrillo’s children were found dead Saturday in Los Angeles.

She hasn’t been charged with their deaths but was arrested nearly 200 miles (322 kilometers) north and has pleaded not guilty to carjacking. The children’s father had contended their mother was delusional and a threat to their safety.