David and Louise Turpin – the California parents who reportedly confined, tortured and malnourished their 13 children – now face up to 94 years to life in prison, authorities announced on Thursday.
The couple was officially charged in court today with 12 counts of torture, following their arrest this week for committing allegedly heinous acts.
As previously reported, the Turpins were discovered to have been keeping their kids captive for years, allegedly depriving them of food and keeping them chained to pieces of furniture for hours and hours at a time.
The kids ranged in age from two through 29.
A 17-year old daughter managed to escape and call the police, alerting them to the despicable conditions in which her siblings were being kept.
Bail has been set at $ 13 million for the Turpins in Riverside County, California.
Said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin on Thursday afternoon:
“All the victims were and are severely malnourished. The 29-year-old female victim weighs 82 pounds.”
The kids were immediately sent to the hospital upon being rescued by authorities and are receiving various types of treatment.
They are receiving antibiotics, vitamins and nutrients and psychologists will soon be brought in to evaluate the victims when their physical conditions improve.
Hestrin also said that the children would “sleep all day and be up all night,” confirming reports from neighbors who have said they witnessed the kids being marched all around the home during very strange hours.
According to Hestrin, “none of the victims were allowed to shower more than once a year.”
Many were found lying in piles of their own feces this week.
“This is severe physical and emotional abuse we’re talking about,” Hestrin said. “It breaks our hearts, but we’re professionals and have to seek justice.”
He noted that the 17-year old who broke free and dialed 911 had been plotting her escape for two years.
On Wednesday, investigators served search warrants to the home, spending approximately seven hours going through evidence, and walking out with several boxes, two safes and pieces of wood that appear to have been part of bed frames.
David’s mother, Betty, told reporters after her son’s arrest that David and his wife had so many kids because God wanted them to.
“I feel they were model Christians,” she told the Southern California News Group on Wednesday, adding:
“It’s hard to believe all of this. Over the years, the Lord knows what happened.”
Adds David Macher, a public defender assigned to David Turpin:
“What we would like the public to know is that our clients are presumed to be innocent, and that’s a very important presumption.”
When asked about the number of counts and the nature of the charges, Macher said:
“It’s going to be a challenge.”
Aside from suffering severe caloric malnutrition associated with muscle wasting, several of the kids have cognitive impairment and “neuropathy, which is nerve damage, as a result of this extreme and prolonged physical abuse,” Hestrin says.
What will happen now to the victims?
The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services is seeking court authorization to provide oversight and care for the 13 siblings “to the extent that’s necessary,” says Susan von Zabern, spokeswoman for the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services.
She added on Tuesday:
“At this point, we’ll be doing a full assessment with medical professionals to better understand needs of the adults as well as the children, and we’ll be prepared to provide supportive services as well as engage other agencies in assisting these individuals to be stable.”