David and Louise Turpin, the parents from the so-called “Horror House” in Perris, California made an appearance in court again on Friday.
The Turpins are accused of torturing their 13 children for years, including keeping them chained to their beds and starving them. This was the first court appearance where the parents themselves weren’t wearing shackles on their hands and feet, according to a report by CBS News.
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Friday’s court appearance was, for the most part, a procedural update of the status of the case against David and Louise Turpin, in preparation for their preliminary hearing on May 14. The parents reportedly face more than 40 counts of charges like torture, false imprisonment, abuse of a dependent adult and child abuse. As the case has developed, three charges of child abuse have been added, while Louise Turpin has gotten one more charge of felony assault. David Turpin also faces one charge of lewd conduct with a minor.
Both disgraced parents have pleaded not guilty to all charges, as they maintained on Friday. In the course of the five-minute hearing, The Riverside City Counsel reportedly handed over two boxes of evidence on behalf of the 13 Turpin offspring. The boxes mostly consist of information about the Turpin family according to CBS, though it was submitted under seal.
Louise’s younger sister, Liz Flores, reportedly watched the hearing from the audience. However, she didn’t take any questions from journalists.
The outlet also confirmed that the seven adult Turpin offspring have been released from the hospital. The siblings were kept in a makeshift home in the medical center near their house as they were treated for years of malnourishment and acclimated to to an independent life.
Now, they are living together on a new property, though they still receive supervision. They spend most of their time at home, and need to be accompanied of they want to go out, according to the report.
The six younger Turpin siblings have reportedly been living in two separate foster homes as they adjust to normal life as well. The family has been in contact through Skype, and caretakers report that one of them had never even seen a toothbrush in their life.
David and Louise are both behind held on $12 million each.
