‘House of Horrors’ Parents David and Louise Turpin Plead Guilty to Multiple Charges in Court

California parents David and Louise Turpin, who held their 13 children captive inside their home, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in court on February 22, In Touch can confirm. Now, the couple faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

“This office was fully prepared to seek justice in this case,” Riverside DA Mike Hestrin said at a press conference. “This is among the worst, most aggravated child abuse cases I have ever seen.”

Both of the parents pleaded guilty to 14 counts each of torture, dependent adult abuse, child endangerment and false imprisonment as part of a deal with prosecutors. Sentencing is reportedly scheduled for April 19. This development comes just over a year after the Turpins were arrested, back in January 2018. The siblings, aged 2 to 29 at the time, were found living in “dark and foul-smelling surroundings” where some had been bound, shackled or padlocked to beds.

As a result of the plea deal, the Turpin parents will not be headed to trial. Even so, the “House of Horrors” case has captured national attention. The couple rarely fed their children and also only allowed them to shower once a year. The living conditions were so grotesque that one of them, a 17-year-old girl, chose to flee through a window before she called police on a deactivated cell phone she found in the house. This escape plan was two years in the making.

Back in March 2018, their lawyer, Jack Osborn, said that the children had been released from the hospital and are now living together in a rural California home. “The adult siblings want to be known as survivors, not victims,” Osborn told ABC News during an interview.

“They’re joyful, warm, considerate. It’s not all about them,” Osborn added. “They want to hear what’s going on with you, and me, and my family. It’s just really fun. It’s fun to be around them. Of course, they’re really full of joy about their life and the things they get to experience right now.”