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David and Louise Turpin Child Abuse Allegations Detailed

David and Louise Turpin Child Abuse Allegations Detailed

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, at podium, takes questions from the media at a news conference regarding the couple accused of starving and torturing their 13 children in Riverside, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

By    |   Friday, 19 January 2018 10:46 AM EST

While David Turpin and Louise Turpin waited to hear their charges in court on Thursday, a California district attorney revealed how the Riverside County couple allegedly tortured and abused their 13 children, keeping them restrained by shackles and severely underfed.

The family lived in Perris, southeast of Los Angeles, CNN noted, and the children between ages 2 and 29 endured years of torture before one teenage girl escaped on Sunday and called 911.

Up until that point, authorities said the 13 children were routinely deprived of water and food, only receiving small portions to sustain them.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin noted that all 13 children were severely malnourished, with the 29-year-old female victim weighing a mere 82 pounds, according to Time.

They were allegedly only allowed to shower once a year and were forced to sleep during the day, chained to their beds and often denied access to the bathroom.

When authorities arrived to search the home, they discovered some of the children shackled to furniture, Time said.

The couple were charged with 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse of a dependent, six counts of child abuse and 12 counts of false imprisonment, the Independent noted.

David Turpin received an additional charge of committing a lewd act on a child. The couple pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were arraigned on Thursday afternoon.

If convicted, they could face 94 years to life in prison, the Independent said, noting that prosecutors were not charging the parents for treatment of their youngest child, a 2 year old.

Neighbors said they rarely saw the reclusive family, which had lived in the neighborhood since 2014, CNN reported, while the children's grandparents said the family appeared normal when they last visited California six years ago.

"I feel they were model Christians," said Betty Turpin, the 81-year-old mother of David Turpin, according to The Independent. "It's hard to believe all of this. Over the years, the Lord knows what happened."

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TheWire
A California district attorney revealed how David and Louise Turpin allegedly tortured and abused their 13 children, keeping them restrained by shackles and severely underfed.
david, louise turpin, child, abuse
333
2018-46-19
Friday, 19 January 2018 10:46 AM
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