David and Louise Turpin, the parents of the 13 children who were found starved, abused, and shackled to beds in California, have been sentenced to 25 years to life today.
The couple, aged 57 and 50, were charged with 12 counts of torture, 7 counts of abuse of a dependent, 6 counts of child abuse, 12 counts of false imprisonment - and one count of a lewd act on a child against David.
The Turpin children were rescued after one of the siblings, aged 17, made a daring escape from the family home in Perris, California and called police using a deactivated mobile phone. She was so malnourished that authorities believed she was around 10-years-old.
Although the couple had originally pleaded not guilty, they've accepted a plea deal that stipulated a sentence of 25 years to life in prison at Riverside County Superior Court.
The plea agreement assured that the parents pleaded guilty to one count per child, and spared the children from having to recount their abuse in court.
The children, whose ages ranged from two to 29, were forced to live in dangerous and dirty conditions.
12 of the 13 were malnourished, sexually abused, and physically abused. They were only permitted to shower once annually, and were often shackled to their beds as punishment for weeks, sometimes months, only occasionally being freed to use the bathroom.
The parents, while starving the children and feeding them one meal per day, would tempt the children with sweets and new toys that they would face punishment for touching.
The youngest Turpin child, aged two, did not seem to be mistreated.
