Perris torture case: District attorney adds new charges against David, Louise Turpin

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- New charges were added Friday in the case of the Perris couple accused of torturing their children and holding them captive.

David and Louise Turpin, who have pleaded not guilty in the case, appeared in a Riverside courtroom for a conference hearing. They are each being held in lieu of $12 million.

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The district attorney on Friday amended the complaint in the case, adding three more charges of abuse against both David and Louise Turpin. Also, one new count of felony assault was added for Louise Turpin.

The husband and wife were arrested in January after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the family's home, and called 911. Authorities said the house smelled of human waste and evidence of starvation was obvious.

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The case drew international attention and shocked neighbors who said they rarely saw the couple's children in the neighborhood. Those who saw the children recalled them as thin, pallid and reserved.

According to investigators, the abuse went on for so long that the children's growth was stunted. The couple allegedly shackled the children to furniture as punishment and kept them on a nocturnal schedule.

It is not immediately clear where the children, who range in age from 2 to 29, are now. They were hospitalized immediately after their rescue and since then county authorities have declined to discuss their whereabouts or condition.

Riverside County has obtained a temporary conservatorship for the seven adult siblings, who declined to speak to the media. According to Jack Osborn, the attorney for the adult siblings, they are focused on moving forward.

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"They really hope that their identity is not going to be the past but what they are like now and like going forward," Osborn said. "They are articulate, they are warm, they are thoughtful and there's a lot to process for them."

The siblings are also speaking with each other using Skype since they're in different locations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.