California couple who shackled children face life in prison
Posted April 19, 2019 12:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LOS ANGELES — A California couple who starved a dozen of their children and shackled some to beds face sentencing for years of abuse.
David and Louise Turpin are due Friday in Riverside County Superior Court for a proceeding that is largely a formality.
The couple pleaded guilty in February to torture and other abuse and agreed to serve at least 25 years in prison.
The abuse was uncovered last year when one of the couple’s 13 children jumped out a window and called 911. The 17-year-old girl had lived such an isolated life that she didn’t know her address and didn’t know what medication meant.
Most of the children ranging in age from 2 to 29 were severely underweight and hadn’t bathed for months. The house reeked of human waste.
Brian Melley, The Associated Press
