The Californian parents who allegedly kept their 13 children in shackles in their home have pleaded not guilty at their first court appearance.
David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, are facing multiple charges of torture, abuse and false imprisonment, after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the house and called police.
David Turpin has also been charged with a lewd act on a child by force or fear of duress.
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During their court appearance, District Attorney Mike Hestrin described the couple’s actions as “severe emotional, physical abuse” and “depraved conduct”.
At a press briefing, Hestrin outlined the extent of the alleged abuse, which included “frequent beatings, including strangulation”, which had been going on for up to four years.
The couple allegedly punished the children by tying them up, “first using ropes and later chaining them to their beds with padlocks,” the BBC reports. The alleged punishments “would last weeks or months, and intensified over time”.
The children were reportedly allowed to shower just once a year, and if they washed their hands above the wrist, they were punished for “playing with water”.
The parents are also accused of feeding the children only once per day. They would “buy food and apparently let the children see it, but not eat it,” CNN says.
Hestrin told media that the siblings were severely malnourished, with the 12-year-old weighing as much as a healthy seven-year-old, and the 29-year-old weighing less than six stone.
If found guilty, both parents face sentences of up to 94 years in prison. They are due back in court at the end of February.
