A California couple who authorities say shackled and abused their 13 children in squalid conditions for years pleaded guilty Friday to torture and other charges. David Turpin, 56, and Louise Anne Turpin, 49, pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts, including one count of torture, roughly one year after their 17-year-old daughter escaped their Riverside home and contacted authorities. Authorities say she was held captive with her 12 siblings, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 and were often chained to their beds in filthy conditions. The Turpins could face life in prison when they are sentenced in April. "This is among the worst, most aggravated child abuse cases I have ever seen or been involved in," Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin told reporters after the court hearing. The court accepted the couple's guilty plea so the victims would not have to testify, he added.<doc-sep>A California couple pleaded guilty Friday to allegedly torturing their children, shackling them to their beds, putting them in cages and starving them. David, 57, and Louise Turpin, 50, were arrested in January 2018 after one of their 13 kids escaped and called the police, The Associated Press reported Friday. “They [kids] will wake up at night and they will start crying and they wanted me to call somebody,” the then 17-year-old daughter said in a 911 call, according to The AP. “I wanted to call y’all so y’all can help my sisters.” Investigators, however, thought the girl looked like she was 10-years-old because she was “emaciated,” NBC News reported. (RELATED: Virginia Elementary School Apologizes Over Runaway Slavery Game) Officials found other children in “dark and foul-smelling surroundings” in the Turpins’ home after the 911 call, according to NBC. The children were allegedly allowed to shower once a year. All kids except a toddler were abused. The abused children were between 2 and 29-years-old at the time and were extremely malnourished. They claimed to be beaten and placed in cages, The AP reported. The children reportedly saw very little daylight, except when the family went on trips. The Turpins said they home-schooled their children, but the oldest child finished third grade and a 12-year-old did not know the alphabet. The Turpins could spend at least 25 years in prison for child cruelty among 13 other charges. “The defendants ruined lives so I think it’s just and fair that the sentence be equivalent to first-degree murder,” Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. David Turpin was an engineer and Louise Turpin was a housewife. The Turpins’ house is around 60 miles from Los Angeles in Perris, California. Sentencing is scheduled for April 19. Follow Neetu on Twitter Send tips to: neetu@dailycallernewsfoundation.org Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.<doc-sep>(Reuters) - A Southern California couple accused of beating, shackling and starving their 13 children held captive in the family’s home pleaded guilty on Friday to multiple charges including torture, child abuse and false imprisonment. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A combination photo shows David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin (R) making a court appearance in Riverside, California, U.S., May 4, 2018. Frederick M. Brown/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo David Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise Turpin, 50, who were arraigned in Riverside County Superior Court, made the plea as part of a deal with prosecutors to serve sentences of 25 years to life in prison, Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said. They will not go to trial and will serve life sentences, unless granted parole after 25 years imprisonment, for crimes that convulsed their suburban, palm-tree-lined community of Perris. “This is among the worst, most aggravated child abuse cases I have ever seen,” Hestrin told a televised press conference. The couple initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sheriff’s deputies raided the Turpins’ home in Perris, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, in January 2018 after one of the captive siblings, an emaciated 17-year-old girl, escaped through the window of the dwelling and called authorities. Deputies found the girl’s 12 brothers and sisters - ranging in age from 2 to 29 - trapped inside the darkened, foul-smelling house, some of them chained to beds. The siblings, found to be suffering from malnourishment, muscle wasting, stunted growth and other signs of severe abuse, were taken into protective custody, and the parents were arrested. Prosecutors said the victims had been denied proper nutrition, basic hygiene and medical care and were harshly punished for perceived infractions such as wasting water by washing their hands above the wrist. The couple also were accused of taunting their children with pies and other food that they were forbidden to eat. David Turpin’s parents, James and Betty Turpin of West Virginia, have said in media interviews that their son and daughter-in-law were a deeply religious couple who home-schooled their children and required them to memorize Bible scripture. The children, whose ages now range from 3 to 30, are in the care of child and adult protection agencies.<doc-sep>
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The California couple accused of beating, starving and holding 12 of their children captive pleaded guilty Friday to multiple charges. David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 counts each of torture, dependent adult abuse, child endangerment and false imprisonment. Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said at a news conference that because of the plea deal, the Turpins will not be headed to trial. A van sits parked on the driveway of the home of David Allen Turpin and Louise Ann Turpin in Perris, California, on Monday. Mike Blake / Reuters The Turpins allegedly kept their children shackled to their beds inside their home in Perris, California, giving them little food and only allowing them to shower once a year. Prosecutors said last year that all but the youngest of the 13 children — who ranged in age from 2 to 29 — were abused. One of the daughters was allegedly the victim of a lewd act by her father, according to prosecutors. The disturbing abuse came to light in January 2018 after one of the children, who was 17 at the time, escaped the home, which is about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. Hestrin said he spoke to the children Friday and "was very taken by their optimism, by their hope for the future." "They have a zest for life and huge smiles," he said. Investigators said in January 2018 that when they first met the teenager who fled the home to get help, they thought she was 10 years old because she was slight and "emaciated." When officers went to the home, they found the other children held captive in "dark and foul-smelling surroundings," according to investigators. Hestrin said the parents face a sentence of life in prison and will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years. They will be sentenced in April, but Hestrin believes the sentence of life with eligibility for parole will stand.