Shivangi Sinha
The Turpin case shocked the world as it revealed years of extreme abuse carried out by Louise and David Turpin against their children. Living in Perris, California, the couple subjected their family to severe neglect, isolation, and control behind closed doors. The case came to light in 2018, when authorities intervened and arrested both Louise and David Turpin, uncovering the full extent of the horrors inside the home. ABC’s ‘The Turpins: A New House of Horror’ explores the disturbing details of the case and examines how the abuse went unnoticed for so long.
David and Louise Turpin Denied Food to Their Children and Subjected Them to Abuse
David Allen Turpin was born on October 17, 1961, and raised in West Virginia. He attended Glenwood Junior High and later Princeton High School, where he was known as a strong student with a deep interest in academics. During his school years, he served as co-captain of the chess club and was involved in the Bible club, science club, and a cappella choir. He also placed first in his ninth-grade science fair. David later attended Virginia Tech, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering in 1984. Louise Ann Robinette was born on May 24, 1968, in West Virginia. She also attended Princeton High School and has been reported to have grown up in an allegedly abusive household.
David and Louise first met while Louise was still in school, and the two quickly developed feelings for one another. Believing they would not be accepted by Louise’s parents, they eloped in 1984 while she was still a student. The couple spent some time in Texas before returning to Virginia, where they were married in Pearisburg with the approval of Louise’s family. They began their life together identifying as Pentecostal Christians. In July 1988, they welcomed their first daughter, Jennifer Turpin. The family lived in Fort Worth, Texas, until 1999, during which time they had six more children, Joshua, Jessica, Jonathan, Joy, Julianne, and Jeanetta. It is believed that David worked as a computer engineer during this period, though supporting a rapidly growing family was quite challenging.
It has been alleged that David and Louise developed gambling problems, and in 1999, they relocated to Rio Vista, Texas. Between then and 2007, they had five additional children, Jordan, James, Joanna, Jolina, and Julissa. During this period, the family lived in an isolated trailer, where the couple would reportedly leave their 10 oldest children alone for days at a time. Food was only occasionally dropped off, leading to severe starvation. Investigators later found chains in the home, which were used to restrain the children as punishment. In addition to physical abuse, the parents employed psychological cruelty, such as placing food in front of the children without allowing them to eat. The children were permitted to bathe only once a year and were required to strictly limit water use. Even minor actions, such as washing their hands beyond their wrists, reportedly resulted in punishment.
David and Louise Turpin Were Planning to Relocate When They Were Arrested
Members of David and Louise Turpin’s family stated that they were never allowed to be alone with the children, and neighbors also observed that the children rarely spoke unless spoken to. David had worked for major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and possibly General Dynamics, earning an estimated annual salary of around $140,000. Financial problems continued to worsen, and later in 2010, the family moved to Murrieta, California. Around 2010, the children were withdrawn from public school, and David established Sandcastle Day School within their home, listing all 13 children as students. Despite this, the children received little to no formal education and were unfamiliar with basic concepts, including words like “medication.”
In 2011, David filed for bankruptcy, yet the abuse within the household continued unchecked. That same year, the couple held a vow renewal ceremony in Las Vegas, without any of their children present. In 2013, they renewed their vows again, this time bringing all of their children and sharing photos from the trip, which created the appearance of a normal family life. To outsiders, nothing seemed amiss. However, one of Louise’s sisters later stated that while she was concerned about how underweight the children appeared, she never imagined the severity of the abuse they were enduring. The family relocated once more in 2014, settling in Perris, California. In 2015, they welcomed their youngest child, Janna.
As David and Louise made plans to relocate to Oklahoma, some of the children had already begun thinking about escaping the home. On January 14, 2018, Jordan Turpin fled the house with her younger sister, carrying a cellphone that belonged to one of her older siblings. The younger child became frightened and returned, but Jordan continued on alone. She placed a 911 call only after she was far enough away that the house was no longer visible. Police responded immediately and conducted a welfare check at the family’s residence. Inside, officers found all of the children severely malnourished, with a strong odor of urine and feces throughout the home. Several had visible bruises on their arms, and iron shackles used to restrain them were discovered. The children ranged in age from two to twenty-nine years old.
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David and Louise Turpin Are Serving Their Sentence in California Today
David and Louise Turpin were charged with multiple offenses, including 12 counts of torture, 12 counts of false imprisonment, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, and six counts of child abuse. David also faced an additional charge for committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 14 and was later charged with perjury related to affidavits filed for the private school he had established. The couple initially pleaded not guilty, but in February 2019, they each entered guilty pleas to one count of torture, three counts of willful child abuse, four counts of false imprisonment, and six counts of cruelty to an adult dependent. In April 2019, both David and Louise were sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
During their sentencing, both David and Louise apologized to their children, with Louise expressing a desire to be reunited with them one day. Following the case, all of the children were placed into foster care. As of today, David is 64 years old and is being held in a detention facility in Riverside County, California, though his exact location has not been publicly disclosed. Louise, now 57, is incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Chino, California. Given the extreme severity and scale of their crimes, it is considered highly unlikely that either will be granted parole in the foreseeable future.
