LOS ANGELES (AP) — The grandparents of 13 starved and tortured children say their son’s family looked happy and healthy when they last visited California six years ago.
Betty and James Turpin of Princeton, West Virginia say they were in shock when they learned of the arrest of their son David Turpin and his wife, Louise Turpin this week.
They told the Southern California News Group that their grandchildren all called each other “sweetie” when they visited their home in Murrieta, California six years ago, and none of them appeared malnourished.
Betty Turpin says her son told her he had so many kids because God wanted him to. She says her son shared her Pentecostal Christian faith but he wasn’t affiliated with a church in California.
David and Louise Turpin are expected to make their first court appearance on Thursday.