A Vegas-based Elvis impersonator who reportedly took part in several of David and Louise Turpin’s vow renewal ceremonies in recent years said he was shocked by what they are accused of doing to their 13 children.
Kent Ripley told Inside Edition that he remembers presiding over three of the couple’s ceremonies but didn’t suspect anything was wrong with the large family.
“They didn’t appear to be not healthy,” Ripley said about the children. “The only way I could tell the difference in their age was from their height because the older girls, they looked young and the boys looked all the same.”
“Their family kept growing so I figured in a couple more years I’d see them again. Then I hear the news today and it’s hard to believe that.”
KUTV noted that Louise, 49, and David, 57, have been married 32 years and renewed their vows at Elvis Chapel in 2011, 2013, and 2015. The latest recorded ceremony shows their daughters dressed in purple dresses and their sons donning tuxedos. Also notable is that there appears to be no physical evidence that the children were being abused.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Riverside County police arrested David and Louise Sunday after their 17-year-old daughter allegedly fled the Perris home and called for help. The teen told officers that she and her 12 siblings, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were being held captive in the home.
The couple’s children–some of whom were allegedly found shackled to filthy beds–were described by authorities as “malnourished and very dirty.”
The Turpins are charged with torture and child endangerment. They are each being held on $9 million bail.
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[Featured Image: Elvis Chapel/YouTube]
