California parents starved 13 children, taunted them with pie - prosecutor

[webfact]

California parents starved 13 children, taunted them with pie - prosecutor

By Tori Richards

 

A combination photo of David Allen Turpin (L) and Louise Ann Turpin as they appear in booking photos provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in Riverside County, California, U.S., January 15, 2018. Riverside County Sheriff's Department/Handout via REUTERS

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Reuters) - The California parents accused of imprisoning their 13 children in the family's squalid home beat, starved and chained them to their beds for years, taunting them with apple pie, according to a prosecutor on Thursday who called it a case of "human depravity."

 

The father, 57-year-old David Turpin, is also accused of sexually abusing one of his young daughters, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin told reporters in announcing the charges before the couple's first court appearance later on Thursday.

 

"A case like that sticks with you and haunts you," Hestrin said. "Sometimes in this business you are faced with human depravity, and that’s what we have here."

 

Turpin and his wife, Louise, 49, each face 94 years to life in prison if convicted on the more than two dozen charges that include torture, child abuse and false imprisonment.

 

The couple was arrested on Sunday, and the conditions in their home in Perris, California, discovered after their emaciated 17-year-old daughter climbed out of a window of the family home and called police.

 

"The 17-year-old victim that escaped has been working on a plan with the siblings to escape this abuse for more than two years," Hestrin said. "She escaped through a window and took one of her siblings with her. That sibling eventually ... became frightened and turned back."

 

Hestrin said that the couple may have unlocked two of their children after police arrived at the family home but a 22-year-old remained chained to a bed.

 

He said the victims were chained for weeks or even months at a time, not released even to use the bathroom. They were allowed to shower only once or twice a year and given little food.

 

"The parents would apparently buy food for themselves and not allow the children to eat it," Hestrin said. "They would buy food, including pies, apple pies, pumpkin pies, leave it on the counter, let the children look at it but not eat the food."

 

The family moved from the Fort Worth, Texas, area to Murrieta, California, in 2010, and then moved again to nearby Perris in 2014, Hestrin said.

 

The California Department of Education lists the Perris address, where the family has lived since 2014, as the location of the Sandcastle Day School, with David Turpin as principal.

 

Hestrin suggested the schooling was deficient, however, as many of the siblings lacked basic knowledge about such things as police officers and medication.

 

(Reporting and writing by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-19

[Somtamnication]

Hang them! Death by 1000 cuts. 

[tonray]

You can tell right off from his haircut...stone cold crazy.  Soon enough she'll wise up and make the state's case by testifying against hubby...say she was brainwashed. 

 

Religious nuts...

[AsianAtHeart]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The father, 57-year-old David Turpin, is also accused of sexually abusing one of his young daughters, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin told reporters in announcing the charges before the couple's first court appearance later on Thursday.

It seems highly probable that more of this behavior will be brought to light during the investigation.  Any man who peeks at his sister-in-law in the shower, as is reported from other news sources, shows a basic moral weakness that runs deep.  It may run in the family.  The depths of depravity are not yet exhausted, it would seem, and as yet we do not know for what motivation the children were kept in such confinement.

 

"...and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

[overherebc]

Somewhere in this whole sordid story religion will start to rear it's ugly head.

[gk10002000]

True story.  I work for the company he used to work for (Northrop).  He was in a meeting I was in just over one year ago in Rancho Bernardo ( Northern San Diego).  The meeting was a pizza luncheon and about the company asking people to transfer from San Diego to Florida, Oklahoma City and a few other places.   I remember him asking a question about keeping California Salaries if relocated to Florida.  A few of my co-workers sat near him where his cubicle was over in the Triton building.   Unbelievable how sick he and his wife were/are 

[Scott]

3 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

True story.  I work for the company he used to work for (Northrop).  He was in a meeting I was in just over one year ago in Rancho Bernardo ( Northern San Diego).  The meeting was a pizza luncheon and about the company asking people to transfer from San Diego to Florida, Oklahoma City and a few other places.   I remember him asking a question about keeping California Salaries if relocated to Florida.  A few of my co-workers sat near him where his cubicle was over in the Triton building.   Unbelievable how sick he and his wife were/are 

Thanks for posting.   I was wondering what he did for a living.  

[gk10002000]

8 minutes ago, Scott said:

Thanks for posting.   I was wondering what he did for a living.  

yeah.  one of the news articles here in the USA mentioned he worked for Northrop so we all started asking around.  That's when one of my ex co-workers emailed me about the meeting he and I were in along with that guy and when I saw the sicko's picture I remembered the guy dressed kind of sloppily and him asking that question about salary.

[zaZa9]

So , if he lived in such a squalid environment , didn't he smell ?

[Tchooptip]

Not sure this story is true 100%, for here is the family with all their children, OK it is 2 years ago so ?????

[malibukid]

how many others like them are there in the same situation across America?  these kids have been brain washed and likely they will suffer the psychological consequences for the rest of their lives.  not much chance for them assimilating into society considering that their formative years where subject to both physical and psychological abuse by these two monsters.  the State of California will have to pay for life long counseling, but with Trumps budget cuts who knows?  their future is uncertain.  the fact that they did not excape is probably due to fear of reprisal or a developmental psychological dependency toward their parents as strange as this may seem.  they could have identified themselves as being deserving victims and assumed that role. any escape attempts would have been countered by the reports from the neighbors that they where just one big happy Christian family.  who would believe them. i imagine that they where on a very short leash when out in public. pure horror story.

[Sir Dude]

Nice helmet hair-do man....blimey, red flag there on it's own

 

 

[Jingthing]

Turns out as I expected they are indeed Christian religious fanatics and they basically were running a private family CULT. I hope this case inspires new laws in some states to do serious oversight of home schooling, as such situations are often linked to religious fanatics. Obviously this is an extreme case, but surely there is similar abuse happening right now in other bogus "home school" cults. I say "some" states only because it's politically impossible now for such oversight of religious fanatics (espcially Christians) to happen currently at the federal level and many states as well. But surely it would be possible in CALIFORNIA. 

 

Not suggesting that home schooling should be illegal, only that there be oversight of it to prevent abusive and cult like situations. 

 

 

[AsianAtHeart]

35 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Turns out as I expected they are indeed Christian religious fanatics and they basically were running a private family CULT. I hope this case inspires new laws in some states to do serious oversight of home schooling, as such situations are often linked to religious fanatics. Obviously this is an extreme case, but surely there is similar abuse happening right now in other bogus "home school" cults. I say "some" states only because it's politically impossible now for such oversight of religious fanatics (espcially Christians) to happen currently at the federal level and many states as well. But surely it would be possible in CALIFORNIA. 

 

Not suggesting that home schooling should be illegal, only that there be oversight of it to prevent abusive and cult like situations. 

 

 

1) There already is oversight of homeschooling in most places--to one degree or another;

2) This issue really had nothing to do with schooling;

3) There are exceptional cases everywhere one turns, including in public schools; and

4) Because people want to label things a certain way in an effort to either understand or condemn them does not necessarily make them so.

 

This situation was just plain criminal.  Deal with the situation as such, whilst resisting the urge to stereotype others who are law abiding.

[Jingthing]

48 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

1) There already is oversight of homeschooling in most places--to one degree or another;

2) This issue really had nothing to do with schooling;

3) There are exceptional cases everywhere one turns, including in public schools; and

4) Because people want to label things a certain way in an effort to either understand or condemn them does not necessarily make them so.

 

This situation was just plain criminal.  Deal with the situation as such, whilst resisting the urge to stereotype others who are law abiding.

They were running a home school. What kind of oversight did you actually think actually happened if this horror show wasn't discovered for so many years? I don't find your argument compelling. I'm sure there are many cases of extreme brain washing to the point of abuse going in home schools, and it's not only Christians, but let's get real, the USA is a Christian majority country and a large percentage of home schools are Christian identified. I get it. The kind of argument you're making about excessive "religious liberty" without regards for civil rights of the general public including children is the POV in power now. Tragically so. 

[Stargeezr]

These two sicko deserve to be locked in a cave for the rest of their lives.    The children deserve a much better life from today forward.

Geezer

[Scott]

3 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

These two sicko deserve to be locked in a cave for the rest of their lives.    The children deserve a much better life from today forward.

Geezer

Unfortunately, according to reports by doctors, some of the kids have permanent neurological damage due to the years of malnutrition.   I am sure the psychological damage is just as severe, but some of that can be undone.   Neurological damage is permanent.  

[champers]

Looks like the parents didn't have a TV.

[AsianAtHeart]

On 1/20/2018 at 2:31 AM, Scott said:

Unfortunately, according to reports by doctors, some of the kids have permanent neurological damage due to the years of malnutrition.   I am sure the psychological damage is just as severe, but some of that can be undone.   Neurological damage is permanent.  

I'd like to know if they were vegan.  B12 deficiency is one of those things that can cause permanent neurological damage.

[Scott]

Just now, AsianAtHeart said:

I'd like to know if they were vegan.  B12 deficiency is one of those things that can cause permanent neurological damage.

No idea, but it sounds like it was long term malnutrition.   Most vegans pay attention to diet.   This family sounds more like a concentration camp diet for the kids.  

[AsianAtHeart]

8 minutes ago, Scott said:

No idea, but it sounds like it was long term malnutrition.   Most vegans pay attention to diet.   This family sounds more like a concentration camp diet for the kids.  

Certainly malnutrition is involved, but it takes more than just a shortage of calories to cause brain damage.  I haven't heard much about brain-damaged folk from the concentration camps in Nazi Germany, for example, even though many were rescued almost on the verge of death.  Lack of vitamin B12, only sourced from animal products, is known to be a cause of brain damage.  I would really like to know more about what the children actually were eating.

[Scott]

51 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Certainly malnutrition is involved, but it takes more than just a shortage of calories to cause brain damage.  I haven't heard much about brain-damaged folk from the concentration camps in Nazi Germany, for example, even though many were rescued almost on the verge of death.  Lack of vitamin B12, only sourced from animal products, is known to be a cause of brain damage.  I would really like to know more about what the children actually were eating.

I think a lot of this will require a lot more information.   The dietary deficiency was long term and the abuse and isolation may also have contributed to impairment.   I think the remarks about neurological impairment were an educated guess by professionals rather than something that they have had time to evaluate in depth.