Mother of 3 slain kids says her world 'utterly destroyed'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mother of three children slain by their father in their Sacramento apartment is speaking publicly for the first time at their memorial service.

Mai Sheng Vang told mourners Saturday that her world was utterly destroyed following last month's tragedy and that she will never stop missing her children.

The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/2y1RfPe ) more than 230 people attended the memorial for 11-year-old Kelvin Hodges, 9-year-old Julie Hodges and Lucas Hodges, nearly eight months. They included six police officers and firefighters who responded to Vang's home the night the children were killed, and the mother thanked them for trying to rescue her children.

Her husband Robert Hodges is accused of killing his children following an altercation with Vang. He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder.