A bitter custody battle and 3 young lives lost in California

Photos, candles, flowers and balloons are placed as a memorial for three children who were killed at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A woman leaves flowers at a memorial for three children who were killed at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Candles and crosses are placed as a memorial for three children who were killed at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

FILE - In this April 10, 2021 file photo Los Angeles Police investigate the scene of a homicide where three young children were found slain at the Royal Villa apartments complex in Reseda, Calif. Authorities have identified the children who were killed in the gruesome slaying in Los Angeles over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in the killings and was being held Monday, April 12 in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Photos, candles, flowers and balloons are placed as a memorial for three children who were killed at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Photos, candles, flowers and balloons are placed as a memorial for three children who were killed at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Photos of three children are placed at a memorial with candles, flowers and balloons at the scene of a crime at the Royal Villa apartments complex in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, on Monday, April 12, 2021. Authorities have identified 3-year-old Joanna Denton Carrillo, her 2-year-old brother, Terry, and 6-month-old sister, Sierra, as the three young children who were killed over the weekend. Their mother is the suspect in their deaths and was being held in a central California jail. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

FILE - This undated file photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Liliana Carrillo. Los Angeles police have arrested Carrillo, a mother whose three children were found slain Saturday April 10, 2021. Carrillo, the suspect in her children's deaths, was being held in a central California jail on Monday, April 12. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP, File)