Prosecutors say the parents of 13 siblings held captive in a Perris, California, house gave their children only one small meal a day, let them shower just once a year, left them chained to furniture, and routinely prepared food in front of them that they were not allowed to eat.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said the siblings, between the ages of two and 29, rarely saw the sun, and were beaten, choked, and shackled to their beds. The parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louisa Anna Turpin, 49, accused their kids of "playing with water" while washing their hands, and they would go months without access to the bathroom. Hestrin said in his 20-year career, this is one of the most disturbing cases he's seen. "This is severe emotional and physical abuse," he said. "There is no way around that. This is depraved conduct."
The Turpins were charged Thursday with several counts of torture, abuse on a dependent adult, child abuse, and false imprisonment, with David Turpin also charged with committing a lewd act on a child by force. Both pleaded not guilty. Hestrin said the charges only cover the eight years they have lived in Riverside County; they moved to California from Fort Worth, Texas, in 2010, and Hestrin said what started as "neglect" became child abuse. He also said the siblings rarely saw doctors and never visited dentists, slept all day after staying awake until 4 or 5 a.m., and while one of the older siblings was allowed to attend classes outside the home, he was always accompanied by his mother.
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