Two daughters recount escape from Turpin family house of horrors: ‘It was now or never’
Jordan Turpin and her sister speak out about the ‘hell’ they endured at their home in Perris, California
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Your support makes all the difference.Two daughters who were starved, abused and shackled to their beds in the infamous Turpin family “house of horrors” recounted their escape in a harrowing new interview.
Jordan Turpin and her sister spoke out about the “hell” they endured at their home in Perris, California, in an ABC News 20/20 special airing on 19 November, a year and a half after their parents David and Louise Turpin were sentenced to 25 years in prison for child cruelty, torture and false imprisonment.
In a preview for the episode, Jordan described the night she escaped the home in January 2018 and alerted police to the abuse she and her 12 siblings, who ranged in age from two to 29, had suffered.
Then 17, Jordan told a 911 dispatcher: “Hello, I just ran away from home because I live in a family of 15 and we have abusing parents.”
“My whole body was shaking,” she told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer. “I couldn’t really dial 911 because… I think it was just us coming close to death so many times.
“It was now or never. If something happened to me, at least I died trying.”
The 20/20 special also features never-before-seen video of the moment police stormed the home and discovered at least two of the children shackled to their beds.
Jordan is heard telling a deputy that her parents would want to “literally kill me” when they learned she had left.
“The only word I know to call it is ‘hell,’” said Jordan’s sister, who was not named in the preview.
The interview marked the first time the Turpin children have spoken to the media about their time in the house of horrors.
Before Jordan’s escape, the children were kept in dirty and dangerous conditions for years, suffering malnourishment, sexual abuse and physical abuse.
They were only permitted to shower once annually, and were often shackled to their beds as punishment for weeks, sometimes months, only occasionally being freed to use the bathroom.
The parents, while starving the children and feeding them one meal per day, would tempt the children with sweets and new toys that they would face punishment for touching.
David and Louise Turpin were charged with 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse of a dependent, six6 counts of child abuse, 12 counts of false imprisonment – and one count of a lewd act on a child against David.
They initially pleaded not guilty before accepting a deal with prosecutors which saw them plead guilty to one count per child.
Louise Turpin apologised to her kids at her sentencing in April 2019.
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to my children. I love my children so much, I’m blessed to be the mother of each one of them. Their happiness is very important to me,” she told the court.
“I want them to know mom and dad are going to be okay. I believe God has a special plan for each of them... I love them more than they could ever imagine.”
