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Classmate expresses guilt over bullying tortured sibling Turpin case: Parents of tortured children barred from contact
(about 7 hours later)
A former classmate of one of the 13 children held captive in California wrote that the oldest daughter was relentlessly bullied in school. A judge in California has issued a protective order banning the parents of 13 siblings allegedly held captive in a suburban home from contacting them.
Taha Muntajibuddin described David and Louise Turpin's daughter in a Facebook post as "a frail girl" who wore the same purple outfit every day. David and Louise Turpin, appearing shackled in court, must stay 100 yards away from their children and have no electronic contact for three years.
The Turpin couple, who face charges of torture and abuse, are due back in court as prosecutors seek to keep them from contacting their children. The Turpins have been charged with multiple counts of torture, false imprisonment and other charges.
The couple has pleaded not guilty. The couple has pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Mr Muntajibuddin, who attended kindergarten through third grade with her in Fort Worth, Texas, wrote that he felt "an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame" when learning about the conditions his former classmate lived in. A former classmate of the couple's eldest daughter has said she was relentlessly bullied in school.
Taha Muntajibuddin described her in a Facebook post as "a frail girl" who wore the same purple outfit every day.
Mr Muntajibuddin, who attended nursery with her in Fort Worth, Texas, wrote that he felt "an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame" when learning about the conditions his former classmate experienced at home.
How can parents torture their children?How can parents torture their children?
He wrote, "you can't help but feel rotten when the classmate your peers made fun of for 'smelling like poop' quite literally had to sit in her own waste because she was chained to her bed". He wrote: "You can't help but feel rotten when the classmate your peers made fun of for 'smelling like poop' quite literally had to sit in her own waste because she was chained to her bed."
Mr Muntajibuddin, who realised he went to Meadowcreek Elementary School with the eldest daughter when reading the news of the Turpin case, described her clothes as looking as though they had been dragged through mud.Mr Muntajibuddin, who realised he went to Meadowcreek Elementary School with the eldest daughter when reading the news of the Turpin case, described her clothes as looking as though they had been dragged through mud.
"It is nothing but sobering to know that the person who sat across from you at the lunch table went home to squalor and filth while you went home to a warm meal and a bedtime story," Mr Muntajibuddin wrote."It is nothing but sobering to know that the person who sat across from you at the lunch table went home to squalor and filth while you went home to a warm meal and a bedtime story," Mr Muntajibuddin wrote.
He shared that that the eldest Turpin child was often called the "cootie kid" and teased relentlessly by her classmates. He said the eldest Turpin child was often called the "cootie kid" - a reference to an imaginary childhood disease - and teased continually by her classmates.
"I distinctly remember my entire third grade class scoffing at her one day because our teacher had asked her to discard a scrunchy she had used to tie her hair out of a discarded tin foil wrapper from an old Hershey's bar," he said."I distinctly remember my entire third grade class scoffing at her one day because our teacher had asked her to discard a scrunchy she had used to tie her hair out of a discarded tin foil wrapper from an old Hershey's bar," he said.
The 13 siblings were allegedly kept in squalid conditions in their home, often chained to beds and unable to use the toilet, until the couple's 17-year-old daughter escaped and alerted the authorities. The 13 siblings were allegedly kept in squalid conditions in their home, often chained to beds and unable to use the toilet, until the couple's 17-year-old daughter escaped on 14 January and alerted the authorities.
The 'happy family' at centre of torture allegationThe 'happy family' at centre of torture allegation
The couple are expected back in court on Wednesday, when Riverside County prosecutors will ask a judge to bar them from contacting their children. About 20 people from across the country, including nurses and psychologists, have offered to care for the seven adult siblings and six children.
Officials want to prevent the couple from having any contact with them, district attorney's office spokesman John Hall told AP. The Riverside University Health System Foundation, which is collecting donations for the children, has received 1,500 contributions that total $120,000 (£84,400), according to spokeswoman Kim Trone.
About 20 people from across the country, including nurses and psychologists, have offered to care for the seven adult children and six minors. Prosecutors detailed some of the horrific allegations against the parents in a news conference, including frequent beatings of their children, only allowing one shower a year, and keeping them chained to their beds.
The Riverside University Health System Foundation, which is collecting donations for the children, has received 1,500 contributions that total in $120,000 (£84,393), according to spokeswoman Kim Trone. The siblings, age two to 29, were found in an emaciated state by authorities in their home in Perris, according to police.
Prosecutors detailed some of the horrific allegations against the parents in a news conference, including frequent beatings of their children, only allowing one shower a year, and keeping their children chained to their beds. Officers had at first thought all the children were minors until they realised some were frail and malnourished adults.
The children, age two to 29, were found in an emaciated state by authorities in their home in Perris, according to police. Officers had at first thought all the children were minors but later realised some were frail and malnourished adults, they said. Mr Muntajibuddin said that despite being bullied, the Turpin girl "was still one of the most pleasant people I have had the opportunity to meet".
Mr Muntajibuddin said that despite being bullied, she "was still one of the most pleasant people I have had the opportunity to meet."
"She had this whimsical optimism to her that couldn't be dampened, couldn't be doused no matter what anybody threw at her," he added."She had this whimsical optimism to her that couldn't be dampened, couldn't be doused no matter what anybody threw at her," he added.
Can anyone open a school at home in California?Can anyone open a school at home in California?
If found guilty of the dozens of charges against them, the couple face 94 years to life in prison. If found guilty of the dozens of charges against them, the Turpin couple could recieve 94 years to life in prison.