The spouses of Turpin, who are accused of holding 13 of their children imprisoned, said at the trial that they did not plead guilty. The next meeting on this case is scheduled for February 23.
Last Sunday, a 17-year-old girl called the police. She said that parents forcibly keep in her house on her chains, and also 12 of her brothers and sisters. When they first saw the victim, the officers were shocked: the girl was 18, but she looked at a maximum of 10.
Inside the house, the police saw a shocking picture: dirty, exhausted children with traces of bullying and beatings, some were chained to beds. They were kept in darkness and in unsanitary conditions. The injured were rushed to hospital urgently.
According to the authorities, five prisoners were minors, seven – between the ages of 18 and 29. As reported by US media, the prisoners planned to escape for two years. Some of the released teenagers were so detached from reality that they did not know who the policemen were. Some of them, due to hunger and mockery, developed violations of the cognitive function of the brain.
57-year-old David Allen Turpin and 49-year-old Louise Anne Turpin are charged with violence against children, torture and committing acts of depravity. If they are found guilty, they may face life imprisonment.
