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California Parents of 13 Children Charged With Torture and Abuse At Squalid California Home of 13 Siblings, a Daring Escape From ‘Human Depravity’
(about 3 hours later)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The siblings were allowed just one shower a year. Their parents left pumpkin and apple pies on the counter, out of the reach of the children, who were fed only meager, infrequent meals. As punishment, they were tied up for weeks or months at a time. RIVERSIDE, Calif. — She had been physically tortured — chained and deprived of sleep. And she had been psychologically tortured, too — apple pies and unopened toys left out in the open that she and her 12 brothers and sisters were forbidden to touch.
The Southern California couple arrested after the police found their 13 children in squalid conditions, some shackled, were charged on dozens of counts of torture and abuse on Thursday, days after one of their daughters managed to execute the escape she had planned for two years. The gruesome details were outlined by the Riverside County district attorney, Mike Hestrin. But after many long years of abuse, a stunted teenage girl who had grown up in a household of unimaginable horrors made her escape. She took one of her siblings with her, and made a dash for freedom. It was a plan she had prepared for on the sly for two years. And it almost fell apart, as the sibling who followed behind her got too scared and went back.
David A. Turpin, 56, and his wife, Louise A. Turpin, 49, could face up to 94 years to life in prison if they are convicted of all the charges against them. The charges include 12 counts of torture, an additional seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, six counts of child abuse and 12 counts false imprisonment. Mr. Turpin is also charged with one count of a lewd act against a child. On Thursday, after the teenager successfully alerted the authorities to her family’s dark secret, her parents were charged with dozens of counts of torture and abuse. The Riverside County district attorney, Mike Hestrin, revealed the gruesome details in what he said was one of the most horrific cases of “human depravity” of his career.
The couple hid the behavior by registering the residence as a private school, which prevented government officials from ever coming into contact with the children. None of the siblings have seen a doctor in four years and they have never seen a dentist. The teenager grew up cowering in fear, doing exactly what her parents ordered and nothing more, which made her escape all the more remarkable. Dialing 911 on a cellphone she had grabbed from the house, she told the authorities what her parents had done to her and her brothers and sisters. How they beat them, forced them to urinate in their beds and allowed them to bathe only once a year.
After planning an escape for more than two years, the Turpins’ 17-year-old daughter escaped through a window with another sibling on Sunday morning. While the other sibling became frightened and turned back, the 17-year-old called 911 from a deactivated cellphone and showed police officers photos to support her story. The parents, David A. Turpin, 56, and his wife, Louise A. Turpin, 49, pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday afternoon to all charges, including 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, six counts of child abuse and 12 counts of false imprisonment. Mr. Turpin is also charged with one count of a lewd act against a child.
When they arrived police officers found a filthy and foul-smelling home. Many of the children, who are between ages 2 and 29 years old, were so emaciated that they looked several years younger. With disheveled hair and ill-fitting black suits provided by the public defender’s office, they both looked dazed as they sat in the courtroom packed with reporters. Their hands rested in their laps, shackled with a chain around their waists and another around each of their ankles. Bail was set at $12 million each.
The gruesome and extensive abuse stretched back at least seven years, Mr. Hestrin said at a news conference here on Thursday morning. The children were only allowed to bathe once a year — if they washed their arms above their wrists, they were accused of “playing in water” and chained to their beds as punishment, Mr. Hestrin said. Mr. Hestrin said that many of the children appear to have cognitive deficiencies and show evidence of nerve damage from “extreme and prolonged physical abuse.” None of the siblings, ages 2 to 29, have seen a doctor in four years and they have never seen a dentist.
“The victims were often not released from their chain to go to the bathroom,” he added. Forced to stay up all night and sleep during the day, they were given only a tiny amount of food on a strict schedule, Mr. Hestrin said. A 29-year-old daughter weighed just 82 pounds and a 12-year-old sibling was the size of a 7-year-old. The 2-year-old child did not appear to be abused, Mr. Hestrin said.
They were forced to stay up all night and sleep during the day and given a tiny amount of food on a strict schedule — a 29-year-old woman who escaped weighed just 82 pounds and a 12-year-old sibling was the size of a 7-year-old. The 2-year-old child did not appear to be abused, Mr. Hestrin said. It appears that all 13 siblings are the Turpins biological children, he said. The daughter who escaped did not understand what the officers meant when they asked if there was medication in the home. Many of the children did not know what a police officer was.
Mr. Hestrin said that many of the children appear to have cognitive delays and show evidence of nerve damage from “extreme and prolonged physical abuse.” “They lack a basic knowledge of life,” Mr. Hestrin said.
The entire family stayed awake all night, usually going to sleep around four or five in the morning, Mr. Hestrin said. While the oldest son took a course at the local community college, his mother stood outside the classroom and took him home as soon as it ended. The 17-year-old daughter did not understand what the officers meant when they asked if there was medication in the home. Many of the children did not know what a police officer was. Mr. Hestrin also recounted how the children were allowed to bathe only once a year — if they washed their arms above their wrists, they were accused of “playing in water” and chained to their beds as punishment, Mr. Hestrin said.
“They were never allowed to have toys,” Mr. Hestrin said. “They lack a basic knowledge.” “The victims were often not released from their chains to go to the bathroom,” he said.
Mr. Turpin appeared to be employed and earning a regular income, Mr. Hestrin said. He and his wife ate well. The police found several toys scattered through the four-bedroom home, but they were all unopened. The only thing the children were permitted to do was to write in their journals — the authorities found hundreds of them in the home and expect they will provide crucial evidence in court. Before Sunday, neither law enforcement nor child protective services had any contact with the Turpin family. The couple hid the abuse in part by registering the residence as a private school, which prevented government officials from ever coming into contact with the children, the authorities said.
But it had been going on for years. Before coming to California, the family lived in Fort Worth, Tex., where, Mr. Hestrin said, the parents used rope and “hogtied” the children. When one escaped, they began using chains and padlocks, he said. The most intensive abuse, he said, appeared to be targeting the oldest children, who were also “fed very little on a strict schedule.” There was “frequent beating and even strangulation,” he added.
“What started off as neglect became severe, pervasive, prolonged abuse,” Mr. Hestrin said.
He pleaded with anyone who knew the family to contact his office.
“Someone must have seen something, someone must have noticed something,” Mr. Hestrin said. “We need your help.”
While several neighbors have said they thought of the family as clannish and reclusive, they were never worried enough to call the police.
Roberto Gomez, 45, who lives in the house behind the Turpins, said on Tuesday that the family appeared to leave lights on 24 hours a day and seemed to be more active at night. But neither Mr. Gomez, nor his son, ever saw the people who lived there, which struck them as strange in a neighborhood where families are often outside.
“I thought they were doing something like drugs,” the elder Mr. Gomez said. “But I never, ever expected there to be 13 kids back there.”
Kimberly Milligan, who moved to the neighborhood two and half years ago, said on Thursday that she rarely saw the children.
“I would say, are we sure 13 kids live there? Because it just doesn’t make sense,” she said in a phone interview.
One recent night, Ms. Milligan said, she and her son were outside, and her son suddenly asked, “What is he doing in the trash can?” It was one of the Turpins’ three sons, she said. She did not think much of it at the time. But now, based on conversations with neighbors who saw similar episodes, she thinks the boy may have been rummaging for food.
Mr. Turpin appeared to be employed and earning a regular income, Mr. Hestrin said. He and his wife ate well. The police found several toys scattered through the four-bedroom home, but they were all unopened. The only thing the children were permitted to do was to write in journals — the authorities found hundreds of them in the home.