Torture, abuse charges filed against California parents

California prosecutors on Thursday filed charges of torture, child abuse, dependent adult abuse, and false imprisonment against the parents of 13 children found in a suburban Southern California home earlier this week. David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, jailed in Riverside County on $12 million bail each, pleaded not guilty. Police discovered the children after one of them jumped out a window and called 911. Prosecutors offered more details Thursday, recounting information gathered from the house in Perris and from interviews with the children, who remain hospitalized due to the effects of malnutrition. Police who responded to the initial 911 call found a 22-year-old chained to a bed and a house full of filth, including human waste. The oldest child, a 29-year-old woman, weighed only 82 pounds, and a 12-year-old looked like a typical 7-year-old. “The victimization appeared to intensify over time,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. “What started out as neglect became severe, pervasive, prolonged child abuse.” Prosecutors have not offered a theory as to why the Turpins abused their children but said it started in Texas, where the family lived before moving to Southern California. Investigators discovered journals written by the children, and prosecutors say the information in them will provide powerful evidence against the parents.