How the 'house of horrors' parents went off the rails in their 40s after a lifetime of clean living
The ‘house of horrors’ parents, who are facing dozens of torture and child abuse charges, went off the rails a decade ago after a lifetime of abstaining from vices like alcohol and gambling.
David and Louise Turpin were arrested earlier this month after authorities found 13 malnourished children, some of whom were shackled to their beds, in their home in Riverside County, California.
They pleaded not guilty to a total of 75 charges relating to torture, child abuse, false imprisonment and abuse of dependant adults.
Ms Turpin’s sister, Teresa Robinette, has now revealed that it was on the eve of her 40th birthday that the California mother hit a mid-life crisis and began drinking, gambling and exploring her sexuality to experience what she never did as a teenager.
“Louise had never drunk a beer or smoked a cigarette or done a drug or anything like that in her whole life,” Ms Robinette told the Daily Mail.
“Then one day, just as she was turning 40 she called and told me that she and David were going to have a drink.
“At that same time she started gambling, she started taking trips down to Vegas and she got a totally different hairstyle — dramatically different.”
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Ms Robinette said she now wonders if her sister’s abrupt end to her life of abstinence triggered the alleged offences against their children, aged between two and 29 years old.
“Did she and David get into something? Did they get into some kind of crazy religion? Or did they get into something that messed up their minds? I don't know,” she added.
Meanwhile, more than $150,000 has been donated to help the Turpin's 13 children, who are also being inundated with adoption offers from around the country.
The Riverside University Health System Foundation, which is collecting donations for the family, had received 1,514 donations by Tuesday morning.
David Turpin and his wife, Louise Turpin, were arrested after sheriff’s deputies found the malnourished children in their home in Riverside County. They’ve pleaded not guilty to torture and other charges.
About 20 people including nurses and psychologists offer to take the children, including the adults, and keep them together.
“People from around the country are offering to foster them and adopt them,” Riverside County Department of Public Social Services Mark Parks added.
