Judge delays hearing of mother accused of killing 3 children
A West Hills mother accused of killing three of her children over Mother’s Day weekend appeared in a courtroom for first time Wednesday where she faced murder charges for their deaths.
Angela Dawn Flores, 38, hid in a corner just inside the door to the defendant’s holding area, out of sight from anyone sitting in the courtroom’s gallery, as she answered questions from Judge David Yaroslovsky at the Van Nuys Courthouse.
“Yes, your honor,” Flores, nearly whispering, said when asked if she wanted to delay her hearing.
A hearing for Flores to enter her plea was continued to Aug. 12. Yaroslovsky kept Flores’ bail at $6 million.
Her public defender was not immediately available for comment.
Flores’ entire court appearance Wednesday lasted just a few minutes before Sheriff’s deputies escorted her back to a women’s jail facility in Lynwood.
Possibly owing to the fact that
the family had few ties to the L.A. area after just moving here a few months ago, no one appeared in the courtroom to attend her hearing besides members of the media.
In juvenile court Wednesday, a 16-year-old who police said assisted Flores in one of the murders pleaded not guilty, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s office. He will return to court on May 25. He’s being held without bail in Sylmar Juvenile Hall.
The bodies of the three children were discovered at around 7:40 a.m. Sunday when someone called 911 from the home on Victory Boulevard near Sale Avenue. The 16-year-old was taken from the home at that time and later arrested. Police have not disclosed how any of the children were killed.
The night before, neighbors heard Flores screaming and saw her enter a neighbor’s yard with a Bible and a candle. Paramedics
took her to a hospital, where LAPD investigators later interviewed her. They arrested her Sunday night after they said she admitted to the killings.
The children were 12-year-old Natalie Flores, 10-year-old Kevin Yanez and 8-year-old Nathan Yanez. Their mother had recently moved the family to L.A. from the Kansas City area, according to property and court records.
Several days after police discovered the children’s bodies, there were few details about the family and what happened inside the house leading up to their deaths.
Mike Vosogh owns the Victory Boulevard home and rented the property to Flores. He said in a statement to a Los Angeles television station that he had just met the children three weeks prior to their deaths.
“I find this heart-wrenching, especially because I knew the innocent, young children,” Vosogh said. “I hope the responsible parties receive the maximum available punishment under the law.”
Investigators have not said why they believe Flores moved the family here. None of their neighbors living along the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard contacted by reporters appeared to know the family well.
According to public records and photos Flores posted on her Facebook page, she previously worked as a real estate agent and for an event promotions company in the Kansas City area.
Court records in Kansas City show Flores previously went by Angela Medina-Corona. Her exhusband, Jacob Corona, filed for divorce against her in 2005.
Corona told the Los Angeles Times that Flores called him about a week before the killings talking about religion.
Federico Yanez-Saldivar, the father of Kevin and Nathan Yanez, lives out of state. In a statement Tuesday, he asked for privacy as his family mourned the loss of the boys.
“The family is shocked and saddened by this horrific situation,” Yanez-Saldivar said.