RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — An investigator said Wednesday the children of a California couple facing torture and abuse charges were so malnourished that their 11-year-old daughter had arms the size of an infant.
Riverside County district attorney’s investigator Patrick Morris testified that some of the 13 children had severe malnutrition and muscle wasting.
Morris was testifying at a hearing in Riverside Superior Court to determine if David and Louise Turpin are tried on charges of torture and child abuse.
They have pleaded not guilty to child abuse, torture and other charges.
Morris said a 15-year-old boy’s growth was stunted and he showed anti-social signs such as wanting to kill animals.
The 17-year-old girl who called 911 told police she had not completed the first grade and Morris says it was difficult to understand her speech. He said she was childlike for her age.
Prosecutors played the call during the preliminary hearing.
The girl said on the call in January that she managed to escape the home and asked that authorities help her young sisters. She told the operator her parents are abusive.
Mrs. Turpin wiped away tears as the tape was played.
Neighbors said they rarely saw the couple’s children, who range in age from 2 to 29.
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