Turpin family: Two healthy dogs found in California 'House of Horrors' as parents deny torture

David and Louise Turpin appear in court
Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via AP
David Gardner25 January 2018

Two well-nourished dogs were found at the “house of horror” where a dozen children were allegedly shackled to beds by their parents and taunted with food they were not allowed to eat.

The one-year-old Maltese puppies were said to be in good condition today. David, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, have appeared in court to plead not guilty to a total of 75 charges.

Thirteen children, ranging from two to 29, lived at the suburban house in Perris, California, which was raided on Sunday. The two-year-old was allegedly the only child not starved, tortured or restrained. The oldest daughter, aged 29, weighed 37kg (five stone 11lb).

At a press conference, district attorney Michael Hestrin said the Turpins kept the children up all night and slept during the day in a suspected effort to avoid outsiders witnessing the abuse.

The siblings were regularly beaten and occasionally throttled, Mr Hestrin said. They were allegedly tied up or hit if they washed their hands “above the wrist” because this amounted to them “playing in the water”.

The family seen in Dr Seuss-style shirts in a group photo which appears to have been taken in April 2016
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Mr Hestrin said the abuse started in 2010 and escalated over time.

David Allen Turpin appeared chained up in court
AP

He said the children were initially “hogtied” with rope but that the parents later began using chains and padlocks. The siblings, who were allegedly restrained for months at a time, were allowed to write diaries. Hundreds were recovered and are likely to be used as evidence.

“The parents would apparently buy food for themselves and not allow the children to eat it,” said Mr Hestrin. “Apple pies, pumpkin pies, [left] on the counter to let the children look at.”

David Allen Turpin appeared in chains

One of the older boys was permitted to attend classes at college but his mother accompanied him there, waited until the class was over, and accompanied him home. The other siblings were home-schooled. None had ever seen a dentist and none had seen a doctor for four years, said Mr Hestrin.

He said that before police raided the house the siblings had plotted to escape for two years. When one daughter, 17, escaped on Sunday to raise the alarm, she was at first accompanied by another sibling, who became frightened and turned back.

Residents gathered outside the California home after 13 children were found held captive
AFP/Getty Images

Mr Hestrin said the children were receiving medical treatment and were “relieved” their ordeal was over. The dogs were being put up for adoption.

The Turpins are both charged with 12 counts of torture and 12 counts of false imprisonment, seven charges of abusing a dependent adult and six counts of child abuse.

David Turpin, who previously had a £100,000-a-year job as an engineer, is also charged with one count of a lewd act against a child under 14. The alleged victim was one of his daughters.

Like his wife, he was handcuffed during the 20-minute hearing in Riverside, California and remanded in custody until February 23. In photographs, a chain was visible across his stomach.

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