A California couple pleaded guilty Friday to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children to beds and starving them to the point it stunted their growth. David and Louise Turpin will spend at least 25 years in prison after entering the pleas in Riverside County Superior Court to 14 counts that included cruelty toward all but their toddler daughter, and imprisoning them in a house that appeared neatly kept outside, but festered with filth and reeked of human waste. The couple was arrested in January 2018 when their 17-year-old daughter called 911 after escaping from the family's home in the city of Perris, about 96 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles. The children, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time, were severely underweight and hadn't bathed for months. They described being beaten, starved and put in cages. David Turpin appeared stoic as he pleaded guilty, but Louise Turpin's face turned red and she began crying and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. The two face prison terms of 25 years-to-life when they are sentenced April 19, Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. "The defendants ruined lives so I think it's just and fair that the sentence be equivalent to first-degree murder." Louise and David Turpin face prison terms of 25 years-to-life when they are sentenced April 19, Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press) Hestrin said he was impressed by how resilient the children were when he met with them, though he said the guilty pleas were important to spare them from having to testify at a trial. The couple had faced dozens of additional counts if they went to trial. During a preliminary hearing, a judge tossed out a single count involving their youngest daughter, finding she was the only child who didn't suffer abuse. Children deprived of food, necessities The Turpins had led a mostly solitary, but seemingly unremarkable life until the teenager jumped from a window and ran for help. David Turpin, 57, had worked as an engineer for both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Louise Turpin, 50, was listed as a housewife in a 2011 bankruptcy filing. The family led a nocturnal existence and slept during the day, which kept them largely out of sight from neighbours in a middle-class subdivision. In a recording of the 911 call played in court last year, the girl who escaped said two younger sisters and a brother were chained to their beds and she couldn't take it any longer. Watch: Neighbours, family react to Turpin revelation Parents charged with torturing their children The National 1:57 Two parents in California have been charged with the torture and endangerment of their 13 children. David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin were arrested after their 17-year-old child managed to escape the home and call 911. Police say several of the children were shackled with chains and padlocks to their beds in terrible conditions, all of them malnourished. Seven of the 13 are adults ranging in age from 18 to 29 1:57 "They will wake up at night and they will start crying and they wanted me to call somebody," she said in a high-pitched voice. "I wanted to call y'all so y'all can help my sisters." The intervention by authorities marked a new start for the children who lived in such isolation that the teen who called for help didn't know her address and some of her siblings didn't understand the role of the police when they arrived at the house. Two girls had been hastily released from their chains when police showed up but a 22-year-old son remained shackled. The young man said he and his siblings had been suspected of stealing food and being disrespectful, a detective testified. The man said he had been tied up with ropes at first and then, after learning to wriggle free, restrained with increasingly larger chains on and off over six years. A police car drives past the Turpin home in Perris, Calif., back in January 2018. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press) Authorities said the children were deprived of food and things other kids take for granted, such as toys and games, and were allowed to do little except write in journals. Although the parents filed reports with the state that they home-schooled their children, the oldest child had only completed the third grade and a 12-year-old couldn't recite the full alphabet. An investigator testified that some suffered from severe malnutrition and muscle wasting, including an 11-year-old girl who had arms the size of an infant. The kids, whose names all begin with the letter J, were rarely allowed outside, though they went out on Halloween and travelled as a family to Disneyland and Las Vegas, investigators said. The children spent most of their time locked in their rooms except for limited meals or using the bathroom. 'They can now move forward with their lives' All the children were hospitalized immediately after they were discovered. Riverside County authorities then obtained temporary conservatorship over the adults. Jack Osborn, an attorney who represents the seven adult children in probate court, said they were happy the guilty plea spared them from testifying. "They are relieved they can now move forward with their lives and not have the spectre of a trial hanging over their heads and all the stress that would have caused," Osborn said. Neighbour Marcela Torres leaves a message for the children on the front door of the Turpin home. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press) The adult children are all living together, attending school and getting healthy while leading lives similar to their peers. He said they value their privacy. The social services agency tasked with overseeing the younger children declined to comment on their cases, citing confidentiality laws. Jessica Borelli, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychological science at University of California, Irvine, said children who suffer such trauma face many challenges but she has seen people make miraculous recoveries. The guilty pleas from their parents, she said, could help, especially since many abuse survivors struggle with feelings of self-doubt. "It is a pretty clear affirmation of how they were mistreated," she said. "If there is any part of them that needs validation that how they were treated was wrong and was abuse, this is it." The children have not spoken publicly, though they will be allowed to speak at the sentencing if they choose to, Hestrin said. "I was very taken by their optimism, by their hope for the future, for their future," Hestrin said. "They have a zest for life and huge smiles and I am optimistic for them and I think that's how they feel about their future."<doc-sep>Parents who tortured kids get at least 25 years in prison (CNN) — The parents who held their 13 children captive inside their California home pleaded guilty Friday to multiple charges, including torture, prosecutors said. David and Louise Turpin each pleaded guilty to 14 charges of torture, adult abuse, child endangerment, false imprisonment and more. They face 25 years to life in prison, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said. Louise Turpin was seen wiping away tears as the judge read the charges. The couple were arrested in January 2018 after police discovered their children – seven of whom are adults – being held captive in a filthy home in Perris. Some of the siblings, who ranged in age from 2 to 29, had been shackled to beds with chains and padlocks. The terrible living conditions led one of them, a 17-year-old girl, to flee through a window before she called police on a deactivated cellphone she found in the house. She had planned her escape for more than two years. “This is among the worst, most aggravated child abuse cases I have ever seen,” District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. He said he believes the pleas will result in life sentences. Had the case gone to trial, Hestrin said, some of the victims would have been called to testify. David Macher, an attorney for David Turpin, declined to comment until sentencing. An attorney for Louise Turpin did not immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment. Children were tied up and starved At a news conference last year, Hestrin painted a bleak picture of life inside the Turpin home, which officials had described as “dark and foul-smelling.” The children were often tied up for “weeks or even months at a time,” Hestrin told reporters. The victims had told investigators the practice initially began as punishment. They would be tied up with ropes, but when one victim, who was hogtied, escaped, the Turpins turned to chains and padlocks, Hestrin said. The children were also kept isolated and denied showers, medical care and food. None of them had seen a doctor in more than four years, and none of them had ever been to the dentist. As a result of their isolation, Hestrin said that the children “lack a basic knowledge of life.” The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) said it could not comment on child welfare cases because of confidentiality laws. Adult children ‘view themselves as survivors’ Corona Regional Medical Center CEO Mark Uffer, who played music with the adult children during their two months there, said the parents’ guilty pleas were a “blessing” to the children. “They are not going to have to be put on a witness stand and dissected by some defense attorney. Why put they through more torture?” Uffer said he hasn’t seen the children since they left the center last year, but an attorney for the adult Turpin children, Jack Osborn, told CNN, “Our clients are relieved that there will not be a trial and they are happy the district attorney was able to achieve this result.” The adult children are doing “very well,” Osborn said. “They have been living together, getting their education and moving their lives forward. They are all extremely bright, incredibly strong and resilient. They have been supportive of each other. “ He added, “They view themselves as survivors.”<doc-sep>Two California parents accused of holding their 13 children captive for years pleaded guilty on Friday to a multitude of charges. CNN reported Saturday that Louise and David Turpin pleaded guilty on Friday to a series of crimes including torture, false imprisonment, adult abuse and child endangerment. Their children, ranging from ages 2 to 29, were allegedly tied or shackled to beds or otherwise restrained from leaving the house for years at a time. ADVERTISEMENT David Turpin was also accused of sexual abuse by at least one of his daughters, according to The Washington Post. He pleaded not guilty to one count of lewd conduct with a minor. In total, the two pleaded not guilty to more than 40 charges involving their children. A sentencing hearing for some of the charges is set for April 19, according to NPR. Prosecutors have said they will not pursue a trial to avoid forcing the children to testify. "We decided that the victims have endured enough torture and abuse," said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, who called it "among the worst, most aggravated child abuse cases that I have ever seen." "The defendants ruined lives. So I think it's just and fair that the sentence be equivalent to first-degree murder," Hestrin said Friday at a press conference, according to NPR. In a recording of a 911 call obtained by CNN, one 17-year-old daughter of the Turpins described to police filthy living conditions that left her siblings unwell and malnourished. "I can't breathe because of how dirty the house is," she said on the call, according to CNN. "We don't take baths. I don't know if we need to go to the doctor." The Turpins were arrested after Friday's hearing, and face sentences of 25 years to life.<doc-sep>
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- As prosecutors brought charges of cruelty and torture against a California couple who had shackled and starved their children for years, they had two goals in mind: Punish the perpetrators and ensure they could never victimize those 13 children in any way again. On Friday they appeared to prevail on both counts as David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 criminal charges in a deal prosecutors say will likely keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. At the same time, it will keep their children from the trauma of having to testify at a criminal trial that until Friday's guilty pleas was scheduled to begin in September. "Part of our job is to seek and get justice. But it's also to protect the victims from further harm," Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said after the couple entered their pleas. Louise Turpin's face reddened, and she wept during the hearing as her husband remained stoic. The couple, scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison on April 13, won't be eligible for parole for at least 25 years, meaning David Turpin, 57, and his 50-year-old wife are likely to die there. "The defendants ruined lives, so I think it's just and fair that the sentence be equivalent to first-degree murder," Hestrin said. The couple was arrested in January 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter jumped out a window of their home and called 911. She pleaded with a dispatcher for help, saying two of her younger sisters and a brother were chained to a bed. "They will wake up at night and they will start crying and they wanted me to call somebody," she said in a high-pitched voice. "I wanted to call y'all so y'all can help my sisters." Police who arrived at the address in a middle-class section of the city of Perris, about 60 miles (96 kilometres) southeast of Los Angeles, found a house of horrors. The children, ages 2 to 29 at the time, were severely underweight and hadn't bathed for months. They described being beaten, starved and put in cages. Two girls had been hastily released from their chains, but a 22-year-old son remained shackled. The brother told police he and his siblings had been suspected of stealing food and being disrespectful. The family led a nocturnal existence, which kept them largely out of sight from neighbours. David Turpin had worked as an engineer for Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Louise Turpin was listed as a housewife in a 2011 bankruptcy filing. Although the parents filed reports with the state that they home-schooled their children, the oldest child only completed the third grade. Some children suffered from severe malnutrition, stunted growth and muscle wasting, including an 11-year-old girl who had arms the size of an infant. Children were deprived of food and things other kids take for granted, such as toys and games. They were allowed to do little except write in journals, authorities said. The kids were rarely allowed outside, but they did go out on Halloween and travelled as a family to Disneyland and Las Vegas. They spent most of their time locked in their rooms except for limited meals or using the bathroom. All the children were hospitalized immediately after they were discovered and have not spoken publicly. Riverside County authorities obtained temporary conservatorship over the adults. The social services agency tasked with overseeing the younger children declined to comment on their cases. The seven adult children are all living together, attending school and getting healthy while leading lives similar to their peers, said Jack Osborn, an attorney who represents them. They value their privacy, he said. "They are relieved they can now move forward with their lives and not have the spectre of a trial hanging over their heads and all the stress that would have caused," Osborn said. The guilty pleas could help with the challenges the children face, especially because many abuse survivors struggle with feelings of self-doubt, said Jessica Borelli, a clinical psychologist and professor at University of California, Irvine. "It is a pretty clear affirmation of how they were mistreated," Borelli said. "If there is any part of them that needs validation that how they were treated was wrong and was abuse, this is it." Although the guilty pleas were important to spare the children from testifying, they will be allowed to speak at the sentencing if they choose, said Hestrin, who was impressed with their resiliency.