Los Angeles

David And Louise Turpin Sentenced To Life In Prison For Torture, Child Abuse

April 19, 2019 / 4:40 PM PDT / KCAL News

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RIVERSIDE (CBSLA/AP) - A Perris couple has been sentenced to life in prison for severe abuse and neglect of 12 of their children.

David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Ann Turpin, 50, each pleaded guilty in February to six counts of cruelty to a dependent adult, four counts of
false imprisonment, three counts of child abuse and one count of torture.

In a court appearance Friday, two of the false imprisonment charges were amended to false imprisonment of a dependent adult.

Louise Turpin wept and David Turpin wiped his eyes as the children spoke, with one of them saying: "My parents took my whole life from me but now I'm taking my life back."

"I believe everything happens for a reason," said the couple's daughter. "Life may have been bad, but it made me strong. I fought to become the person I am. I saw
my dad change my mom. They almost changed me. When I realized what was happening, I immediately did what I could to not become like them. I'm a fighter. I'm strong and I'm shooting through life like a rocket."

WATCH: Turpin Children Address Parents In Court

Some of the other children said they still love their parents. One asked for a lighter sentence because "they believed everything they did was to protect us."

It's the first time the children have spoken publicly since the arrest of their parents, David and Louise Turpin. They have the right to address the court to say how they've been impacted by the abuse.

They pleaded guilty in February to torture and other abuse that was uncovered when their 17-year-old daughter jumped out a window and called 911.

Louise (L) and David Turpin (2nd-R), who pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts for the abuse over several decades of their 13 children, speak with their attorneys during their sentencing in Riverside, California on April 19, 2019. - A California couple were jailed for at least 25 years on Friday, April 19, 2019 after admitting imprisoning and torturing 12 of their 13 children in a grisly "House of Horrors" case that shocked the world. David Allen Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise Anna Turpin, 50, had pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts -- including cruelty, false imprisonment, child abuse and torture of their children aged three to 30. (Photo by WILL_LESTER / POOL / AFP) / POOL (Photo credit should read WILL_LESTER/AFP/Getty Images)