LOS ANGELES _ A Riverside County judge ruled Thursday that the parents of 13 siblings found living as captives in Perris must stand trial on dozens of felony charges related to the torture and abuse of their children.
"One can't imagine why some of these things would have been done to their own flesh and blood," Superior Court Judge Bernard J. Schwartz said as he made his ruling.
David Turpin and his wife, Louise Turpin, were arrested in January after their 17-year-old daughter escaped their home and called police using a deactivated cellphone.
That month, Riverside County prosecutors filed dozens of charges against both parents related to the abuse, captivity and torture of the children. They later filed additional charges of child abuse against the couple, felony assault against Louise Turpin and perjury against David Turpin.
Schwartz ruled Thursday that there is sufficient evidence to support 49 of the 50 charges that prosecutors brought against the couple.
He said there was not enough evidence to support an endangerment charge related to the couple's 2-year-old.
The couple have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Schwartz heard testimony on Wednesday from numerous investigators who detailed the horrific conditions that the Turpin children described after they were removed from the home.
Investigators also offered details for the first time about the severe abuse and abandonment the siblings said they suffered in Texas, before they moved to California about eight years ago.
