The girl who secretly called 911 from her Paris home, where she and her siblings suffered unimaginable deprivation, said in her first public interview that she risked her life to save others. Was inspired to put
A call to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on January 14, 2018 by Jordan Turpin, then 17, uncovered the secret lives of parents Lewis and David Turpin, who a year later had to so badly kill 12 of their 13 children. Convicted of starvation and torture—few months in chains and little more than a first grade education—that his physical and mental development was severely stunted.
“I think it was like we were approaching death at times,” Turpin explained to ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an interview for a “20/20” special that is scheduled to air November 19. “It was really now or never. If anything happened to me, at least I died trying.”
In a body-worn camera video of a deputy shown in the trailer for the special, a deputy asks, “What are your parents going to do when they find out you’re gone?” Turpin replies: “They really want to kill me.”
Arriving at the Muir Woods Road home, they found two children on their beds and several children in dirty clothes.
Sawyer also interviewed one of the Turpin sisters, who was not identified in the trailer. The sister described their living condition, saying, “The only word I can say to it is to say ‘hell’.”
The case garnered interest from around the world, books were written about the family, and the Riverside County Child Abuse Hotline received an escalation of calls when it was discovered that neighbors had described the family’s behavior as strange.
Ultimately, Lewis and David each pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and were sentenced to 25 years in state prison on April 19, 2019.
Each new revelation about the treatment of Jennifer, Joy, Jessica, Jonathan, Jordan, Julissa, Joanna, Janna, Julian, Joshua, Jolinda, James and Janetta, aged 2 to 29 at the time of their rescue, looks over the top. was the last for cruelty.
According to testimony, the children led a nocturnal existence to keep them out of sight, although the family occasionally traveled to Disneyland or Las Vegas where David and Louise would renew their marriage vows in front of an Elvis impersonator.
Violation of house rules such as “stealing” food or watching a Justin Bieber video can result in a child being hit on the head, pulled by hair, thrown down stairs or paddled. Progressively harsher punishments for subsequent violations included being confined to a 7-foot to 5-foot cage.
One son told an investigator that he was locked up either by ropes or chains in the turpin houses in Murrieta, then Paris, “off and on” for 6 years, a detective testified. Other children told investigators that they were chained for weeks at a time, left only to eat, use the bathroom or brush their teeth.
According to testimony, restrictions were eased around Christmas time. But violating the rules surrounding the holiday meant those kids would “lose Christmas”—no presents, but perhaps worse, they had to watch other kids celebrate Christmas.
Investigators described the children as deprived of basic nutrition. His meals usually consisted of peanut butter or bologna sandwiches, chips and frozen burritos, a detective testified. The pies would sit tantalizingly on the kitchen counter, only to rot because kids wouldn’t dare take a bite without permission. Meanwhile, David and Lewis ate deli sandwiches and pizza.
According to testimony, when the children were examined after being freed, they were 20-45 pounds under the ideal weight for their height and cognitively disabled.
The sister, who was not identified in the trailer, spoke to Sawyer about her siblings’ future.
“They’re strong. They’re not broken. They’ve got it,” she said.
