Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of 3-Year-Old Half Sister
A West Covina woman who allegedly told police she beat her 3-year-old half sister to death and then made up a story about the toddler disappearing from a parking lot pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and assault charges.
Elvira Moreno Valencia, 32, was arraigned in Citrus Municipal Court and remains in custody on $1 million bail.
On June 12, Valencia reported that while she was looking into the trunk of her car at a Target store in Industry, her half sister, Perla Valencia, suddenly vanished from the back seat.
Three days later, she allegedly told police she killed the little girl and led investigators to her body, wrapped in a plastic trash bag and dumped off a highway in the Angeles National Forest.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 25.
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