Calif. hell parents get 25 years to life
Parents from hell David and Louise Turpin were sentenced to 25 years to life Friday after two of the dozen kids they abused and held captive in their “house of horrors” spoke publicly for the first time.
Their eldest daughter, 30, stood bravely in court in Riverside, Calif., and tearfully described her new life of freedom after she was rescued last year. She was severely malnourished and had a third-grade education.
“My parents took my whole life from me, but now I’m taking my life back. I’m in college now and living independently. I love hanging out with my friends and life is great,” she said while wearing a clean white shirt under a blue cardigan, her long brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
“Life may have been bad, but it made me strong. I immediately did what I could to not become like them. I’m a fighter. I’m strong,” she said.
Her younger brother Joshua, 27, broke down and needed a minute to compose himself as he read a statement from their younger sister Jessica saying she still loved her parents even though their actions were not “the best way of raising us.”
Dressed in a gray shirt and black tie, Joshua told the court he’s now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in software engineering while living in an apartment.
“I cannot describe in words what we went through growing up. Sometimes I still have nightmares [about] things that have happened, such as my siblings being chained up,” he explained.
“But that is the past and this is now. I love my parents and have forgiven them for a lot of the things they did to us,” he added.