'House of Horrors' Dad David Turpin Faces 8 New Charges

David Turpin was hit with eight new felony charges on Friday, this time for perjuring himself when [...]

By Michael Hein

David Turpin was hit with eight new felony charges on Friday, this time for perjuring himself when he registered his home as a private school.

Turpin and his wife, Louise, are the parents behind the so-called "House of Horrors" in Perris California. They allegedly held their 13 children prisoners, starved them, denied them basic hygiene and even chained them to their beds for long stretches of time.

As part of their insular lifestyle, Turpin had registered their home as a private school called the Sandcastle Day School, so that they could legally keep all 13 children at home at all time. According to a report by ABC 7, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office brought the new perjury charges against Turpin for "filing a Private School Affidavit with the Cal Dept. of Education in 2010-17 where he certified under penalty of perjury that the children in the home were receiving a full time education in a private day school."

The perjury case against Turpin has plenty of evidence, as his children reportedly "lack a basic knowledge of life," according to a representative from the D.A.'s office. "Many of the children didn't know what a police officer was. The 17-year-old, when asked if there was medication or pills in the home, didn't know what medication or pills were."

The perjury charges were brought against Turpin in another preliminary hearing on Friday. He did not enter a plea. One more preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 20, and after that their trial will begin in earnest.

Both David and Louise Turpin have pleaded not guilty to charges of torture, child abuse and several others. David faces one count of lewd acts on a child, which he also denies. The parents both face possible life sentences.

Their children range in age from 2 years old to 29 years old. While the youngest one was apparently spared from the worst of the abuse, the rest show signs of severe malnourishment and lifelong abuse, according to many reports.

Seven of the Turpins are legally adults, and have been moved into a temporary home in California. They are still recovering and re-learning how to integrate into society. They still receive supervision and guidance from medical professionals.

The six Turpins who are still underage have reportedly been split into two foster homes, though all of them keep in touch through Skype. According to one report, one of the youngest Turpins had never even seen a toothbrush before.

The parents are each being held on $12 million bond.

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