Source: NBC News
David and Louise Turpin, the California parents who beat, starved and held 12 of their children captive inside their home, were sentenced Friday to life in prison.
The husband and wife pleaded guilty in February to 14 counts each of torture, dependent adult abuse, child endangerment and false imprisonment.
During their sentencing, both of them cried and wiped away tears as some of their children addressed the courtroom. The judge ruled the couple will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
“My parents took my whole life from me, now I’m taking my life back,” one of the couple’s daughters said. “Life may have been bad, but it made me strong. I saw my dad change my mom, they almost changed me. I’m a fighter, I’m strong.”
Disturbing details of the abuse came to light in January 2018 after one of the daughters, who was 17 at the time, escaped their home in Perris, California, and used a cellphone taken from the house to call 911. The girl, who officers initially thought was a child because she was so emaciated, told police that her brothers and sisters were being held by her parents and some of them were chained, investigators said.
When authorities entered the house, they found the children — whose ages ranged between 2 and 29 years old — being held in “dark and foul-smelling surroundings,” authorities said.
Some of them were bound to their beds and furniture by chains and padlocks and many of the children told police that they were “starving,” according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
“I love both of my parents so much,” a statement read in court from another daughter said. “God looks at the heart and I know he sees theirs. I’ve prayed often for them.”
Louise Turpin read a prepared statement for the court, apologizing to her children.
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to hurt my children. I love my children so much,” she said. “I want them to know that mom and dad are going to be ok.”
David Turpin was so emotional,…
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