Turpins barred from contacting children in Perris prison home case
David and Louise Turpin have been barred by a court from contacting their 13 children for three years in an abuse case that has captured the attention of the world.
The Turpins appeared in a Riverside courtroom on Tuesday afternoon. Their defense attorneys are also looking to have the venue changed for the case, citing the extensive media coverage.
The documents in the case are sealed, but News Channel 3 has learned the judge has barred the pair from trying to call or find out information about the children. They must stay 100 yards away from the alleged victims unless they need to appear in court. Under the criminal protective order, the children can record any conversations the parents might have with them.
The court order also forbids the Turpin parents from owning firearms. It expires in the year 2021.
The adult and minor children were allegedly tortured and abused for years by their own parents. Prosecutors say the victims were deprived of food and some were chained to beds in their Perris home.
Investigators are now reviewing journals kept by some of the family members. “I think what’s in the journals will be significant evidence.” District Attorney Mike Hestrin told I-Team Investigator Zak Dahlheimer in an exclusive interview. “You have to think, step back and think, how rare it is to have evidence directly of what a victim in this case went through.”
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On January 18th, Riverside County Deputy Public Defender David J. Macher filed an “Opposition to Media Request” for his defendants, David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin. The Turpins are accused of imprisoning their 13 children in prison-like conditions in their Perris home.
We tried to speak with the public defender representing Louise Turpin, but were told, “I don’t have any comment at this time.”
WATCH: The I-Team’s Zak Dahlheimer sat down with prosecution’s lead attorney
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The request aims to limit the “frequent appearance of photographs or video images of the Turpins in the media,” because they “may taint potential jurors, prejudice them against the Turpins.” These factors may lead to “a possible motion for a change of venue.”
David and Louise Turpin face an extensive list of charges, including 12 counts of torture, 12 counts of false imprisonment, 7 counts of abuse of a dependent adult, and 6 counts of child abuse. David Turpin also faces one charge of conducting a lewd act on a child by force or fear.
Authorities have accused David Turpin 56, and Louise Turpin, 49 — whose children are between 2 and 29 years old — of beating, choking and tying most of the siblings up as punishment. Prosecutors have not alleged the 2-year-old was tortured. The parents allegedly deprived the children of water and fed them small portions of food on a strict schedule.
The 29-year-old child weighed just 82 pounds, prosecutors said and the other children are so thin they all look younger than their actual ages, authorities said.
The parents, who lived in Perris, have pleaded not guilty to 37 charges. David Turpin also pleaded not guilty to one count of lewd conduct with a minor.
They are due in court again on February 23.
The siblings — seven adults and six children — are in the hospital, recovering from years of alleged abuse and neglect.
The charges cover the time that the Turpins have lived in Riverside County — 2010 to the present.
As the criminal case proceeds, the future of the children will likely be decided in another courtroom.
The process to terminate parental rights is determined in dependency court, and birth parents have the right to contest the termination, Amy Heilman, director of foster care and adoption at the Children’s Bureau in Los Angeles, told CNN last week.
People from all over the world wanting to help the Turpin children have raised nearly $200,000 to support their medical expenses and education.
A fund launched by the Riverside University Health System — where the younger siblings are being treated — has collected more than $126,000, according to Erin Phillips, a spokeswoman with the hospital.
A fundraiser started by the Corona Chamber of Commerce has received about $65,000 in monetary donations after collecting enough clothing, hygiene items and toys to meet the immediate needs of the siblings.
The DA’s Office asks that anyone with any information about this case contact DA’s Sr. Inv. Wade Walsvick toll-free at (888) 934-KIDS (5437) or (951) 955-4KID (4543) or email wadewalsvick@rivcoda.org.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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