California woman says she drowned children to protect them

Carrillo, who wore a brown jail jumpsuit, had her arms shackled to her waist. There was a cast or bandage on her left arm. She cried several times during the nearly half-hour interview. She said she did not have an attorney, although a public defender had been appointed to represent her. The public defender's office did not return a request for comment Friday.

Carrillo described herself in the interview as a “social justice warrior” who used to travel California advocating against human trafficking. She said she met the children’s father when she was his Uber driver.

Carrillo told the TV station that she had promised her children when they were born that she would protect them and did not want them to be further abused.

“I wish my kids were alive, yes,” she said. “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.”

Sorrentino said mothers who kill their children out of altruistic motives will often say days later that they would do it again because they felt it was their only option.

Denton’s court filings tell of Carrillo’s post-partum depression following the birth of their middle child. In texts and social media posts, she said things like “I wish I never had kids” and threatened to kill herself.

Last February, the couple's oldest daughter fell and landed on her groin area and later said it hurt, according to court documents. Carrillo believed the pain was from Denton molesting her, which he denied, the documents said.

He said a doctor found no evidence of abuse, but Carrillo contended that the examination wasn’t thorough enough, the court documents said.

In her interview, Carrillo said she had dealt with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome her entire life and had sought out a therapist for post-partum depression. She contended that it was Denton who posed a threat to the children.

Asked about her final message to her children, she replied: “I love you, and I’m sorry.”