RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A California judge has barred the parents accused of torturing their children and shackling them to beds for months at a time from contacting the victims.
David and Louise Turpin appeared in court in Riverside County on Wednesday.
The protective order signed during the hearing prohibits the couple from having any contact with their 13 children. The siblings, between 2 and 29 years old, were rescued from their filthy home in Perris on Jan. 14.
The Turpins have pleaded not guilty to torture, abuse and other charges.
Prosecutors said they are slowly receiving valuable information from the 13 siblings who were held captive in their California home.
In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said the children remained hospitalized and were relieved to be rescued from what authorities called a torture chamber.
He says investigators are going to let the siblings — ranging from 2 to 29 — tell their story at their own pace.
David Turpin and his wife, Louise Turpin, were arrested after deputies found the malnourished children in their home on Jan. 14. Both pleaded not guilty to torture and other charges.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to call 1-888-934-5437.
