Now he's filing a wrongful death suit
Amidst a bitter custody battle, Eric Denton did not feel safe with his three young children being left in the care of their mother, Liliana Carrillo. But when he sought intervention from the police and child services, he came up short.
Eric Denton made at least 18 contacts to Los Angeles Child Protective Services and yet, no permanent action was ever taken. At one point, after one of Carrillo's mental health episodes, he was even granted emergency custody. Still, his multiple claims were not taken seriously and the children were repeatedly sent back to their mother.
The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services has stated that they "remain fiercely committed to strengthening our community partnerships to enhance the safety net for children and families.” But where were they through all of this?
Where were the social workers?
According to Denton, several warnings about Carrillo's behavior were repeatedly ignored. He believed his ex's behavior to be unstable and he was concerned about her mental health. With the safety of his children in mind, Denton was fighting for custody, but so was Carrillo.
Liliana Carrillo made some accusations of her own. At one point, she filed a restraining order and alleged that Denton may have sexually abused one of the children. While these are serious allegations, it was not only Denton who Carrillo accused. She had become fixated on the idea that a sex trafficking ring had been targeting her kids. In fact, due to her postpartum depression, Carrillo had a lot of invasive thoughts and feelings.
But somehow, even with Denton's many attempts at intervention and Carrillo's fractured mental state, no action was taken. The bitter custody battle went on.
Weeks later, Denton's three young children were dead, having been drowned by their mother.
Denton's legal representations say the deaths "Would have been prevented if law enforcement officers and child welfare workers did what they were required to do by law."
But it seems that most, if not all, of the reports that were made were ignored. Now, a year after the murders, Denton has filed a wrongful death suit against the city of Los Angeles.
His ex, Liliana Carrillo is facing three murder charges, filed by LA District Attorney George Gascon this past Monday.
In a jailhouse interview (part of which can be seen below), Carrillo asserted that she did drown the children, citing a promise she'd made to "always protect them."
With little emotion to be seen and no sign of remorse, Carrillo dodged the interviewer's question of whether she regretted her actions. She said she "preferred them not being tortured and abused on a regular basis for the rest of their life."
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