The California mother who allegedly abused her children and locked them away in a “House of Horrors” will not be able to delay her criminal trial for mental health treatment, the Desert Sun reports.

Jeff Moore, a lawyer for Louise Turpin, had asked the court for a so-called “mental health diversion” because of what he said were indications that she suffers from various psychiatric problems.

The procedure under California law allows criminal trials to be put on hold for up to two years so defendants can get mental health treatment.

Turpin, 50, and her husband, David, 56, are each facing a raft of charges related to the alleged torture and confinement of their 13 children.

According to the report, Moore argued that Turpin might not have understood that she was acting illegally because of what he described as histrionic personality disorder.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz was not persuaded that Turpin required treatment and he scheduled a trial readiness conference for the end of November.

“The court found that Louise Turpin posed an unreasonable risk to the public . . . and was not suitable for the diversionary program,” a news release from the Riverside County District Attorney’s office states.

Charges against David and Louise Turpin include torture, false imprisonment, child abuse and cruelty to a dependent adult. Additionally, David Turpin has been charged with eight counts of perjury and one count of lewd acts on a child. Louise Turpin also is accused of assault that resulted in great bodily injury.

Both are being held in jail on $12 million bail and they could face life behind bars if convicted.

The family was discovered after their 17-year-old daughter escaped in January and called police – a move she said was planned for two years.

“They are chained up in their bed,” the girl told dispatchers. “I wanted to call y’all so you can help my sisters.”

When authorities arrived, they discovered children who were vastly underweight and malnourished, living in squalor and wearing clothing with fecal stains. They also were chained to beds or put in cages as punishment.

The children at the home ranged in age from 2 years old to 29, with only the 2-year-old child deemed healthy.

None of the children were adequately educated.

They are now being cared for by child and adult protective services and have all been released from the hospital.

The newspaper reports that the siblings are living in residential facilities, the locations of which have not been disclosed.

[Feature image: Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register via AP, Pool]