Life sentence for couple who confined and tortured their children in California

A California court sentenced the couple who for years confined and tortured their children in their home to life imprisonment Friday.

Judge Bernard J. Schwartz delivered the life imprisonment sentence for David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 50, during a hearing attended by two of their biological children, victims of abuse and mistreatment, who read testimony senses.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin filed more than twenty charges against each of them, including illegal detention, child abuse, also sexual abuse and torture.

The Prosecutor reported that the abuses began when the couple lived in Texas and continued when they moved to California. They began as a case of “severe negligence” and resulted in clear cases of “torture”.

The Turpin chained their children to bed for periods of “weeks or even months,” and deprived them of food and water, as well as medical care and education.

Two of the children appeared during the day in court and testified about the abuse suffered. “My parents took away all my life,” said one of the daughters. “Now, I’m recovering, I’m a fighter,” he added, according to the US television network CBS.

For his part, another of the children said: “not being able to describe in words what he suffered”. “Sometimes I have nightmares about things that happened, like when my brothers were chained or beaten,” she added.

“That is the past and now it is the present,” he said, before pointing out that “he loves his parents” and “he has forgiven many of the things” they did to their children.

Louise Turpin also declared during the day and apologized to her children. “I regret everything I did to cause harm to my children,” said the mother, who cried during the hearing. “I love them more than you can imagine,” she added.

David Turpin, the father, could not speak due to tears, so his lawyer read a statement in which the man wished his children success and asked them to remain united. “I thank God for all my children,” the father said in his statement, in which he said he regrets “if he has done something that has caused them harm.”