Southwest
Texas mother tortured, cut children with knives, attempted to put 3-year-old in oven: police
A Texas mother has been arrested after being accused of torturing her children, including attempting to put her 3-year-old daughter into a hot oven.
According to an arrest affidavit acquired by FOX 4, Lul Top, 36, was arrested after her five children were removed from her custody on January 8 in the family’s rented home in the Dallas suburb of Allen, Texas.
The woman’s children, who were 3, 6, 9, 10-years-old, allegedly told Child Protection Services that Top regularly “tortured” them to find her alcohol.
Authorities said that the children had scars “resembling knife cuts” and that two of the children said their mother used a knife to cut them.
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An Allen, Texas woman arrested after a SWAT standoff was wanted for allegedly abusing her children, according to an arrest affidavit. (FOX 4)
The 10-year-old child also shared that his mother tried to put his 3-year-old sibling into a hot oven and had to physically fight her off to take the child upstairs to hide her.
A 4-year-old child said they also saw the incident, according to the affidavit.
One boy told detectives his mother once held a knife to his tongue.
The boy also shared that his mother made him drink alcohol, but he spit it out, according to the affidavit.
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The children told investigators that Top threatened to kill everyone with a cleaver and that the children would hide knives so that their mother would not be able to threaten them, according to the affidavit.
A SWAT team in Allen, Texas arrested the 38-year-old mother of four who allegedly threatened her childen. (FOX 4)
On Thursday, Feb. 8, Top was forcefully removed from her home.
Neighbors took video of a SWAT standoff and her eventual arrest at her home.
“Come out with your hands up,” a police is heard saying into a loud speaker in footage of Top’s arrest.
Top hid in the attic of the house for an hour and finally came out, the affidavit said.
Lul Top is charged with six counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (Collin County Jail)
Neighbor William Whitney told FOX 4 that there was “always weird stuff” going on at Top’s house.
“Always weird stuff over there. The police were always there,” he said. “Seeing the kids playing out in the back by themselves, no supervision. And to know that was actually happening, it’s sad. It’s really sad.”
Neighbors say the family started renting that home about a year ago.
Allen police say knives inside the home were taken into evidence when Top was arrested.
Top is charged with six counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She is currently in the Collin County Jail where she is being held on a $600,000 bond.
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A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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