House of Horrors children 'watching Harry Potter and using iPads for the first time'
The 13 children rescued after being allegedly imprisoned, chained and starved in a squalid Californian home have been given the chance to watch Harry Potter movies and use iPads for the first time.
Some of the siblings, aged up to 29 years old, have never even seen a toothbrush before, staff at the medical facility where they are being treated have reported.
Nearly six weeks after the siblings were rescued from the family's “house of horrors” in Perris, California, the six underage siblings have been discharged to live in two foster care homes, while the seven adult children continue to recover at the Corona Regional Medical Center.
As their parents, David and Louise Turpin, were hit with additional charges on Friday, lawyers Jack Osborn and Caleb Mason representing the seven adult children have updated their progress to CBS This Morning on Friday.
The attorneys say staff have converted a portion of the facility to suit the needs of the rescued Turpins, allowing outdoor space to exercise and play sports.
Hospital staff have noted the older Turpins are excited about making decisions on their own for the first time, like what to read and how to dress.
While they haven't been able to be reunited with their younger siblings yet, they keep in contact with them via Skype.
“That's a big deal, deciding what they're going to read, deciding what they're going to wear, these are all things that are decisions they make every day that are new and empowering,” Mr Osborn said.
They are also excited about being given the freedom to go to the beach, the mountains and the movies, he said.
“I just want you to understand just what special individuals they are. They all have their own aspirations and their own interests and now they may have an opportunity to address those, which is really exciting.”
He said the seven older children have begun considering their futures, and some are hoping to go to college.
New charges filed against parents in California abused siblings case
The update on the adult Turpin children came as their parents were hit with additional charges on Friday.
Defense lawyers said they were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of evidence in the case.
David Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise, 49, were advised of the new charges during a brief hearing in Riverside County Superior Court at which they appeared dressed in black at a table with their attorneys but did not speak.
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A spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office said the new charges included three counts of child abuse against both defendants. Louise Turpin was also charged with felony assault.
"Further investigations we have been doing in this case led us to amend the complaint, which is not uncommon," spokesman John Hall said outside court.
The Turpins were arrested on January 14 at their home in Perris, California, about 113 km east of Los Angeles, after an emaciated teenage girl climbed out of a window of the house and called police.
Officers responding to the scene found her 12 siblings ranging in age from two to 29 inside, suffering from malnourishment, muscle wasting and other signs of severe abuse.
The couple has pleaded not guilty to almost 40 charges each of torture, false imprisonment, abuse on a dependent adult and child abuse.
Defense attorneys, who have asked the public to remember that their clients had a presumption of innocence, told the judge on Friday that they were skeptical they could be ready to proceed with a preliminary hearing in the case in May because of the voluminous amount of evidence turned over by prosecutors.
Both defendants are jailed in lieu of $15.3 million bail until trial and prohibited from contacting their children.
The children will not be required to testify during the preliminary hearing, at which a judge determines if there is enough evidence to bind the defendants over for trial, under a California law that allows police officers to summarise their testimony, sparing them further trauma.
The Turpins were ordered back to court on March 23 for another hearing in the case.
