by John Glatt
The grandparents stayed at the Turpins’ home and were delighted to see their son David’s “happy family.” During their visit, they ate out at restaurants and went to Disneyland, where they were impressed to see how well organized the children were.
At each Disneyland attraction, the dozen Turpin children would automatically line up in a row—the oldest to the youngest—with David at one end and Louise at the other. Heads turned as they all waited in line, wearing their identical Disney-themed outfits.
“That shows you,” their grandmother later explained, “how particular they were about keeping the kids together and organized.”
Betty Turpin would later say that her son David had told her how God had called on them to have so many children.
“I feel they were model Christians,” said Betty.
* * *
Though the trips to Disneyland were a rare chance for the twelve Turpin siblings to interact with the real world, child trauma expert and licensed family therapist Allison Davis Maxon said it would have been frightening for them to suddenly leave their world of extreme deprivation and find themselves in Disneyland.
“It’s just so foreign to them,” said the clinician based in Orange County, California. “For them, it would be like literally being on a different planet. This is not the world they have known for their entire existence … for them, it must have been really terrifying.”
She explained how confusing and disorientating it would be for them to see other happy families enjoying themselves, while they lived in a world of total darkness and suffering.
“I would use the analogy,” said Maxon, “that you and I live in the world of light. We live on the earth’s surface, and they live a mile underground. No sunlight. No joy. No laughter. No birds. Nothing. What do they think about when they come to the surface? They would think, That’s a world I don’t know. I see all these people talking, laughing, playing, and enjoying life and each other. I see these things, but I don’t know what they are. I can’t even wrap my mind around what they are, because my world is a mile underground. There is only suffering and pain. And it’s dark, and it hurts.”
Years of torture and near starvation had stunted the siblings’ cognitive and physiological development, making the whole experience hard for them to take in.
“They may really struggle,” she said, “being in a world that feels overstimulating to them. All those sights, sounds, smells, and sensations you and I can filter could feel overwhelming and overstimulating due to the intense and chronic deprivation they experienced. The average adult brain can easily filter out most unnecessary sensory input. When the human brain is chronically under-stimulated and deprived of age-appropriate sensory input for most of its growing-up years, developmental milestones are not reached and can result in delays in social, cognitive, and emotional development.”
It must have been devastating, Maxon said, when Mother and Father brought them back to their prison after their day out. Returning to their subterranean world of pain, near starvation, and torture, it must have felt eerily familiar and terrifying at the same time.
“Their world was like a living hell,” she said.
* * *
Over the next few weeks, David and Louise posted photographs from their trip to Disneyland on Facebook, eliciting responses from their online friends. One shows the children posing outside the cinema in Main Street USA, the gateway to Disneyland. In another, David, in a black Darth Vader T-shirt, Louise, and their children are all pictured smiling with Princess Jasmine. Another shows them happily posing with Eeyore from Winnie-the-Pooh.
“Blown away,” posted Louise’s cousin Tricia Andreassen, “how I have my hands full with just one and look at you!”
“Louise Turpin is a super mom,” wrote her aunt Eilene Harris. “I really couldn’t have handled it. KEPT BUSY FROM MORNING UNTIL NIGHT WITH MY FOUR.”
In June 2012, David Turpin opened a Twitter account, @DavidTurpin, describing himself as a family man.
Several months later, he retweeted a tweet from the Disneyland Resort, the only account he was following. “Hooray! It’s Mickey’s Birthday today! Watch all the wonderful greetings that came in and keep the celebration going! #HappyBirthdayMickey.”
* * *
Three months later, Mercer County chief deputy assessor Allen “Wayne” Robinette retired after twenty-six years in his job. The Princeton Times ran a story on his retirement in the September 30 edition with the headline FAMILIAR FACE: ROBINETTE LEAVES POST AT COURTHOUSE TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY.
Alongside the story was a photograph of the sixty-four-year-old former West Virginia Democrat of the Year, in his courthouse office with an American flag behind him.
In the article, Robinette said he was hoping to fulfill a lifelong dream and visit his daughter Louise.
“I’m planning to travel out to California to see my daughter and her family,” he said. “She has twelve children.”
Robinette said he wanted to retrace the 1940s trip his father had made to California by steam train.
“[My dad] bragged on that trip the rest of his life,” said Robinette. “Getting to do the same thing would be pretty fun. But if I can’t do it by train, I’ll fly.”
A few weeks later, he bought a plane ticket to California and flew there without telling Louise. But when he called her from San Diego International Airport, Louise refused to give him her address and told him to go home.
“[Dad] was so hurt,” said Elizabeth Flores. “He’d got the ticket and he was going to surprise her, and she told him not to come.”
* * *
On October 17, to celebrate David’s fifty-first birthday, the couple posted a photograph on their joint Facebook account of their recent Las Vegas wedding renewal, posing with Elvis impersonator Kent Ripley.
“Love this pic!” wrote their former obstetrician Donna Cox Kolar, who’d become a close friend when the Turpins lived in Fort Worth. “Happy B Day.”
“Thank you!” replied David-Louise Turpin. “I miss you and your office staff very much. Haven’t had much desire to reproduce without you around.”
“Thanks. We miss you and yours too,” Dr. Kolar wrote.
* * *
On March 9, 2013, Louise Turpin’s grandmother died at the age of eighty-eight. Mary Louise Taylor Smothers, known to the family as Mamaw, had divorced John Taylor more than thirty years earlier after catching him raping Louise. She had since remarried, remaining in Princeton, West Virginia, where she was still a regular at the Church of God.
John Taylor was among the mourners at the open-casket funeral. It was the first family gathering he had attended in many years.
“When he walked into the funeral home and I saw him, I got the shakes,” said his niece Tricia Andreassen, who says he molested her when she was seven years old. “And within three minutes of seeing him walk in the room, I walked out in fear. I couldn’t even be in the same room as him.”
After the funeral, Tricia—Louise, Elizabeth, and Teresa’s first cousin—started talking regularly with Elizabeth about the abuse they had all suffered as children. It would be the basis of their close enduring friendship as they tried to break the secret cycle of abuse in their family that had gone on for generations.
“None of us girls, sisters or cousins had talked about it,” wrote Elizabeth in her book, Sisters of Secrets. “Tricia told me she had told her parents and my Mamaw. But the only advice they had given her was, ‘Just stay away from him.’”
* * *
That spring, all the Turpin children fell ill, most likely due to their unhygienic living conditions. Mother and Father briefly relented and took them all to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment, something they apparently had never done before. The children were carefully briefed about what to tell the doctors, so no one would suspect there was anything untoward going on at home. After they were treated, Mother and Father brought the siblings back to their filthy house to recover.
* * *
&nbs
p; On June 27, Louise secretly opened a new Facebook account under her maiden name, Louise Robinette. In her profile picture, the forty-five-year-old mother of twelve looks more like a teenager, with heavy makeup and a seductive smile. She wears a figure-hugging tank top over a low-buttoned floral shirt. Her new Facebook page was the polar opposite of the family-friendly David-Louise Turpin account, leading to speculation that she was using it to meet men. It seemed that she was no longer satisfied by the swinging lifestyle and wanted to strike out on her own.
“I don’t know if David knew about it,” said her sister Elizabeth, who was shocked when she stumbled across it. “Apparently, it was used for a dating site [and] she used … her maiden name.”
14
VIVA LAS VEGAS
On Monday, September 2, David and Louise Turpin returned to Las Vegas for their second wedding renewal ceremony to mark their twenty-eighth anniversary. This time, they brought all twelve children with them.
Several weeks earlier, Louise had purchased A Elvis Chapel’s top-of-the-line “Viva Las Vegas” concert package for $1,195 plus taxes. She had paid a nonrefundable $400 deposit, guaranteeing $60 tips each for the Elvis impersonator, limo driver, and photographer. And she requested that Kent Ripley officiate as he had done before.
“The second time they came, they had the big package,” recalled Kent Ripley. “Like a wedding followed by a concert. I got to sing and dance with the kids.”
Now a redhead, Louise had bought a revealing new white satin wedding gown. It boasted a wrapped strapless long-line bodice and a long-flowing split skirt with frothy tulle truffles. David would wear a tux and bow tie, sporting a pink floral buttonhole.
Their nine daughters, now aged between eight and twenty-five, received identical homemade pink tartan dresses, white tights, and white Mary Jane shoes. Their three sons, aged between nine and twenty-one, would wear loose-fitting dark suits, white shirts, and red ties. In the official A Elvis Chapel video, all the siblings look painfully thin in their ill-fitting outfits, which are hanging off them.
Before leaving Murrieta, Mother and Father had given the children their first bath in months and washed their hair. Then they drove to Las Vegas, staying in a pair of adjoining rooms at Circus Circus.
The next morning, they all rode in style to A Elvis Chapel in a stretch limousine. As soon as they arrived, Louise told Ripley something that unsettled him.
“Louise made a comment that stuck in my mind,” he explained. “She [said that] she’s been following my career. And it was odd because she mentioned a couple of events that I did, not necessarily weddings.”
Louise had closely researched him online, mentioning several corporate events Ripley had performed outside the chapel.
“She followed me, as in Kent Ripley,” he said. “What I found unusual is the fact that she’s got twelve kids and has time to watch my career.” Though her fixation struck him as odd, he brushed it off. “Sometimes we need outlets, things to do in our lives to relax.”
The dozen identically dressed Turpin siblings entered the building in single file. David and his three sons headed into the chapel, while the nine girls lined up at the back entrance, Louise bringing up the rear.
In their own twisted way, Louise and David may have viewed the A Elvis Chapel wedding video as a pitch for their potential reality TV show, as the children all seemed well rehearsed, knowing exactly where to stand in relation to each other.
“We are live in Las Vegas,” announced Ripley in his best Elvis impression. As a prerecorded backing track began playing, Ripley, in his gold Elvis lamé jacket, started singing “Love Me Tender.”
Louise and her nine smiling daughters then walked into the chapel, stopping for photographs along the way. “Elvis,” singing into a classic RCA microphone, took the blushing bride’s hand and walked her down the aisle, where David waited at the altar.
In the pews to the left of the altar sat the girls, with the boys to the right. Nine-year-old James held a small white pillow with two gold rings on it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Ma and Daddy,” “Elvis” announced as all the children applauded. “David and Louise. Twenty-eight years of happiness, love, and laughter are being celebrated today. Because today we get to celebrate your love.”
Ripley asked Louise to give her white flowers to one of her daughters and hold her husband’s hands so the wedding ceremony could begin.
“David and Louise,” he began, “the two of you … made promises to each other, to honor, to cherish and to protect. To share your hopes, to share your dreams. We are celebrating today … because you have kept the promises for twenty-eight years.”
As his children applauded, David teared up with emotion and Ripley handed him a tissue to wipe his eyes. Then Mother and Father solemnly exchanged vows, pledging to be each other’s “best friend” and “soul mate” forever.
He then beckoned the ring bearer, James, up on stage, telling him to stand by his parents.
“David, it’s time to take the ring for your wife,” said Ripley solemnly, “and place it on her ring finger.”
As they swapped vows, Father had all the children laughing at his impromptu Elvis impression, repeating the word baby numerous times, using the King’s inflections.
“Now, Louise,” continued Ripley. “You take the ring from your king—and I mean King David. I’m going to ask you to slip it on his ring finger.”
As David placed the ring on his bride’s finger, dabbing his eyes with a tissue, one of his daughters can be heard off camera shouting, “Don’t step on my foot!”
The Elvis impersonator had the happy couple join hands and repeat their vows together. “David and Louise,” he continued, “we know that the two of you share a very special love. A bond that goes beyond everything.”
Ripley sent “dear brother James” back to his seat, giving an Elvis signature hip swivel to the children’s applause.
“Live from Las Vegas,” he declared, “I now pronounce the two of you … still will be husband and wife. David, you may now kiss your beautiful wife.”
David and Louise shared a long, slow kiss, and the Elvis concert began.
Ripley sang “All Shook Up,” gyrating his hips Elvis-style on the small circular stage. Then he launched into “Burning Love,” having the Turpin children sing the chorus “Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love,” one at a time into the microphone.
Next, the three youngest Turpin daughters—Joanna, Jolinda, and Julissa—took the stage to dance “Hound Dog” with him, then he summoned Julianne, Jeanetta, and Jordan to the stage for a hip-swiveling rendition of “Teddy Bear.” At the end of the song, he asked their names, saying it was nice to meet them.
Although the smiling children enthusiastically joined Ripley onstage for the performance, there was something hollow about them. It was as if they had no idea how to respond to all the attention.
Ripley then beckoned “Mom and Dad” up to the stage, handing them each a pair of sunglasses. He asked them to look into each other’s eyes and see a “beautiful future” in front of them.
As their smiling children looked on, David promised never to leave Louise at “Heartbreak Hotel or any hotel,” be cruel to each other, or step on their blue suede shoes. At Ripley’s prompting, David self-consciously raised up his left hand, awkwardly swiveling it Elvis-style, as he promised to always be Louise’s “hunk of burning love.”
“It’s Daddy!” shouted Ripley enthusiastically, shaking David’s hand to the children’s wild applause.
Then they slow-danced to the “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” as David openly wept with emotion.
As they left the stage, Ripley told David to take as many of those “happy towels” as he needed to wipe his eyes.
Later, he invited the boys onstage for a medley of Elvis songs. During “Jailhouse Rock,” he encouraged a rail-thin Jonathan—whom Ripley mistakenly called James—to awkwardly dance the twist in his baggy suit.
Towering over his son
s and looking uncomfortable, Father did his best to join in as they danced to “A Little Less Conversation.”
For the finale, Ripley brought everyone onstage for “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” As their parents slow-danced, staring into each other’s eyes, their dazed-looking kids surrounded them. They all looked completely overwhelmed and exhausted from Ripley’s electric performance.
“God bless each and every one of you,” said Ripley. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your memories. Now we’re going to have fun with this one.”
To the strains of “Viva Las Vegas,” “Elvis” led everyone in a conga line around the chapel, the youngest child at the front and David at the back. Then they returned to the stage for a final photo opportunity, waving goodbye to the camera.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Ripley, “I wish you the very best until we meet again. God bless you, and Elvis has left the building.”
* * *
After the ceremony, Kent Ripley asked David and Louise how they coped with so many children. During their conversation, they seemed to be attentive parents, expressing excitement about an upcoming trip to Disneyland.
“I asked them questions about where they go,” he remembered. “I mean, how do you transport twelve kids? They used a big van … a bus. Well, he works seven days a week, and she takes care of the kids. That was the impression.”
Though all the children looked very thin, Ripley thought it was because they were “so active” as a family.
“They went here, they went there,” he explained, “so when you’re active you seem to stay a little thinner than heavier. That was my thoughts. I don’t know if kids are healthy or not. I’m an entertainer.”
Later, he would ponder if the younger Turpin children even knew who Elvis was.
