Parents of 13 plead guilty to torture, abuse
By AMY TAXIN Associated Press
RIVERSIDE, Calif. Feb 23, 2019 12:40 AM ET
As prosecutors brought charges of cruelty and torture against a California couple who had shackled and starved their children for years, they had two goals in mind: Punish the perpetrators and ensure they could never victimize those 13 children in any way again.
On Friday they appeared to prevail on both counts as David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 criminal charges in a deal prosecutors say will likely keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. At the same time, it will keep their children from the trauma of having to testify at a criminal trial that until Friday's guilty pleas was scheduled to begin in September.
"Part of our job is to seek and get justice. But it's also to protect the victims from further harm," Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said after the couple entered their pleas ...
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-parents-13-plead-guilty-torture-abuse-61254833