Trial Begins For Davis Mom Accused Of Drowning Daughter In Bathtub

DAVIS (CBS13) — A Davis mother accused of drowning her daughter in a bathtub, then putting the 5-year-old's body in a trunk and driving to a family member's home appeared in court on Tuesday.

Yolo County prosecutors describe Aquelin Talamantes as a cold-blooded killer who was hooked on prescription drugs, cocaine and meth, who hated being a mother to the point of murdering one of her kids.

During opening statements on Tuesday, the district attorney showed video of an officer giving CPR to 5-year-old Tatiana Garcia.

"That child was in need of immediate emergency medical assistance," said Sacramento Police officer Doug Morse.

An officer found and tried to revive the child in her mother's trunk in the Pocket area of Sacramento, but she was gone.

Her defense attorney tried to explain her actions, saying she's a troubled young mother with severe psychiatric problems.

The attorney says Talamantes was molested at the age of 8, lost her mother to a murder at age 11, was forced to live on her own by 16, and was a victim of domestic violence in a bad marriage.

Months before the murder, her attorney says Talamantes checked herself into a mental health facility in Sacramento, claiming she was hearing strange voice.

But the prosecutor calls Talamantes a professional victim who tried to manipulate mental-health professionals all to get prescription painkillers.

He says Talamantes resented her kids, and often told her family, "Stupid kids. I don't want them."

y, "Stupid kids. I don't want them."