While attending community college, the eldest son of 13 tortured California children would never look anyone in the eye and wore the same clothes every day, a classmate revealed.
Angie Parra, who had a music class with one of the Turpin children at Mount San Jacinto College, described him to KNBC as a “sweet, but odd, introvert.”
“I could see [a] sadness in his face,” she said. “His eyes–he never wanted to make eye contact with anyone.”
Parra went on to recall an incident where the classmate was so “famished” during a school potluck he helped himself to multiple plates.
“He stood by the table and didn’t sit down,” she told the local news station.
“He literally ate plate after plate after plate.”
Despite his unthinkable home life, KABC reported that the Turpin son maintained a 3.93 GPA. Prosecutors revealed that family matriarch, Louise Turpin, maintained a tight hold on her oldest child as he attended classes.
“Louise Turpin would accompany him, wait outside of the classroom for him,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael A. Hestrin said. “When he was finished with class she would take him home.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Riverside County police arrested David and Louise Turpin last week after their 17-year-old daughter reportedly escaped the Perris home and called for help. The teen allegedly told officers that her parents were holding her and her 12 siblings captive–and presented pictures that corroborated her story.
The California couple is accused of starving and shackling their children to filthy furniture in their unkempt, run-down Perris home. Authorities said that the prolonged neglect has left the severely underweight children with cognitive impairments, according to ABC.
David, 56, and Louise, 49, have pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, six counts of child abuse, and 12 counts of false imprisonment. David has also pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act on a child under 14 by force or fear. They face 94 years to life in prison if convicted as charged.
The Turpins are jailed on $12 million bail. They are scheduled to appear in court on February 23.
Listen to expert analysis from Nancy Grace and guests on this story:
Subscribe to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Art 19 | Google Play | RSS | Stitcher
[Featured Image: Turpin family/Facebook]
