The Family Next Door

by John Glatt

  “That was the only time they left,” said resident Donald Kick. “The chute didn’t open, and he must have collided with his friend. All of a sudden they were onto the next thing. So if it bleeds, it reads.”

  * * *

  That same day, Dr. Randy Turpin contacted Child Protective Services in California, expressing interest in adopting some of his younger nieces and nephews. He even posted a video message online for the siblings saying, “I’m looking forward to having you join us.”

  But when CPS returned his call, there was no answer, and he’d hired an attorney to field media inquiries.

  Since his brother’s and sister-in-law’s arrests, the president of Valor Christian College had kept a low profile, refusing to give interviews. But a 2011 photograph on his Facebook page showing Randy’s and David’s families together at Disneyland had been discovered and shared by the media, along with the caption: “A memory that I will hold to for the rest of my life. It was so great being with you guys.”

  His book 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting had also received extensive publicity in light of the malnourished condition the Turpin children had been found in.

  Church of God pastor Ray Hurt said he knew Randy and was familiar with his religious work.

  “His family seems very well balanced,” said Dr. Hurt. “So what’s going on with David is a complete anomaly.”

  Dr. Hurt insisted that fasting was always done in a biblical context and never forced on anybody.

  “And so I would think, knowing Randy the way I do,” said Dr. Hurt, “that his approach to fasting had absolutely no connection with anything that went on out there. I mean, they’re in complete different contexts.”

  * * *

  On Wednesday, David and Louise Turpin were back in Riverside Superior Court to hear Judge Emma Smith’s ruling on the prosecution’s motion to stop them from contacting their children. Before the hearing, public defender Steve Harmon had filed a motion claiming the “extraordinary” media coverage of the Turpin case could poison a future jury pool and requesting a change of venue for the trial.

  At 1:30 p.m., the press was allowed to enter Judge Smith’s courtroom, where Louise and David were already sitting at the defense table, shackled at their wrists and feet. Defense lawyers had visited the Turpins’ home and collected clothes for them to wear at the hearing. David was wearing a gray suit with a purple shirt and tie, and Louise had a white button-down shirt and jacket, her frizzy graying hair falling over her shoulders. At one point, she looked at her husband and smiled.

  Deputy district attorney Kevin Beecham began by explaining that prosecutors had had to divide the thirteen children over two protective orders, since there were so many of them.

  Then, as David and Louise Turpin looked on without a hint of emotion, Judge Smith read out her three-year protective order.

  “You must not harass, strike, threaten, assault, follow, stalk, molest, destroy, or damage property of the [victims],” she told them. “Disturb the peace of, keep under surveillance or block the entrance of the protected people. You must not try to, or actually get their addresses. You must have no personal, electronic, telephone, or written contact with any of the people listed … except through their lawyer.

  “And finally, you must stay at least one hundred yards away from all of them at all times, other than court proceedings, where everyone is ordered to be present. Okay, all right?”

  The two defendants nodded. Judge Smith ordered them to be back in court on February 22 for a felony settlement conference to discuss the attorneys’ preparedness for a preliminary hearing. After the hearing, Louise grinned at her attorney.

  Outside the courtroom, David Macher told reporters that he had already begun his investigation into the case, refusing to elaborate further.

  * * *

  A Riverside County public guardian had been appointed to care for the seven adult Turpin siblings, as they were unable to take care of themselves. They would eventually move into a supervised living facility. The six minors, who had asked to remain together, had already been discharged from the hospital and split up to live in two foster homes.

  “You have two different agencies overseeing the children,” said Press-Enterprise reporter Brian Rokos. “The public guardian has oversight of the adults, and the Department of Social Services has oversight of the minors.”

  Teresa Robinette told Inside Edition that she did not want the six underage siblings to be kept apart.

  “That’s the worst-case scenario,” she said. “We would like to get family members of ours together to make sure that each one of these kids is placed with a blood family member. That way, even if they are scattered, they would still be with our family and they would still have a connection for life.”

  * * *

  On January 27, the two-week anniversary of Jordan’s escape, DA Michael Hestrin appeared on the local KCBS News for an investigation update.

  “We’re working around the clock to leave no stone unturned,” he said.

  The DA theorized that the Turpin family had been able to fly under the radar so long because of their nocturnal existence.

  “These crimes,” he said, “by their very nature, happen behind closed doors and in dark places, and they go undetected.”

  He was then asked how the victims were progressing, both emotional and medically.

  “They’re doing well,” he replied. “They’re relieved. They are being well fed and being well cared for. My sense is that they’ve got the best professionals looking after them, not just their physical well-being but their mental and emotional well-being.”

  Hestrin again said that he believed the hundreds of journals the siblings kept over the years would provide “significant” evidence against their parents at trial.

  “You have to sit back for a second,” he said, “and think how rare it is to have evidence directly of what a victim in a case like this went through.”

  * * *

  The day after David and Louise Turpin were ordered not to have any contact with their children for three years, Austrian kidnapping victim Natascha Kampusch gave an interview saying the siblings should be able to confront their parents. Now thirty, Natascha had been snatched off a Vienna street at the age of ten by Wolfgang Přiklopil. She then spent eight years as his hostage in a secret cellar under his garage. Finally, she ran away and alerted authorities, but Přiklopil committed suicide by jumping in front of a train before he could be arrested.

  Kampusch, who has written several books about her ordeal and participated in a documentary, told The Sun that it would be a vital part of their healing process for the Turpin children to interact with their abusers.

  “It is important that they have contact with their parents,” she said, “and the ability to visit them in prison. They will need to find a way to either forgive them or leave them behind.”

  Being able to tell their parents that they either hate them or forgive them would be very therapeutic, she said. “It will help them begin a process where they can cope with the whole situation and get more stable. The children will need closure.”

  25

  LEARNING TO FLY

  Since the Turpin children’s rescue, Elizabeth Flores and Teresa Robinette had been speaking candidly to the media about their sister Louise’s tragic childhood. Their first cousin Tricia Andreassen had also been a victim of her grandfather’s abuse as a child. She had grown up with the three Robinette sisters but lost touch with the family after leaving home.

  Then in 2012, Tricia reconnected with Elizabeth on Facebook, and they began to rebuild their relationship. In the twenty-five years since leaving Princeton, West Virginia, Tricia had become an author, life coach, and motivational speaker. She calls herself “an Unstoppable Warrior.”

  Since Louise’s arrest, the cousins had become even closer, finding freedom after years of being instructed to remain silent about their childhood abuse. In the foreword to Elizabeth’s memoir, which Tricia published, she wrote that God had giv
en her a mission to help Elizabeth tell her story.

  “My life calling was putting me front and center to raise my own voice,” she wrote, “and share it along with Elizabeth.”

  On her Facebook page, Tricia posted photographs of herself and Elizabeth on the sets for Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, and The Dr. Oz Show.

  “My beautiful cousin [Tricia],” Elizabeth commented, “friend, mentor, coach, and most of all my ROCK!”

  On Monday, January 29, Elizabeth appeared on Dr. Phil, talking about how Louise had changed after eloping with David.

  “When she left home, she wanted to put everything behind her,” Elizabeth told Dr. Phil, “including our family, because of our history of abuse as children.”

  However, when Dr. Phil asked her for more details, she remained vague. Elizabeth emphasized the abuse was by a “family member” and not her parents, without elaborating further.

  But the next day, Elizabeth and Tricia appeared together on The Dr. Oz Show, where they tearfully unmasked the family member who had molested them all.

  During the highly emotional interview in front of a studio audience, Elizabeth spoke in detail about the abuse. She theorized that it could have led to Louise abusing her own children so many years later.

  “I feel that a sense of control [is] maybe what she wanted,” said Elizabeth. “She never had control in her life growing up. And she didn’t have friends in school [and] was made fun of a lot. That’s where Disneyland and everything comes in.”

  Elizabeth said although she and her cousins had all gone through the same abuse, they were nothing like Louise.

  “Can I ask you about the family abuse?” said Dr. Oz.

  “A very, very close family member that we were with daily abused all the cousins. And it was just swept under the rug, I guess. If it came up, it was like we were lying.”

  Elizabeth told him they had all been groomed by their abuser, who would provide cues before it happened.

  “It was like, ‘We’ve got to go in the other room, you’ve got to give me a big hug,’” said Elizabeth. “And we knew what that meant.”

  Tricia added that she had told her parents about the abuse, but they did nothing about it.

  “So all of us girls were trained,” Tricia said, “to be fake or not to come forward.”

  Elizabeth said their abuser was “very wealthy,” using his money as a bargaining tool.

  “He was the family leader,” she said. “When my mom needed money, she ran to this person.”

  “Was this person her father?” asked Dr. Oz gently.

  “Yes,” Elizabeth admitted. She broke down in tears as Tricia gripped her hand in reassurance.

  “Your grandfather?”

  “Yes.”

  Elizabeth told Dr. Oz how her grandmother had once caught him raping Louise on the couch, which had led to their divorce.

  “She took a frying pan after him,” she sobbed. “And she still didn’t report it, because the thing was that we had to keep our family name. It was a very small town, so everybody knew him. My grandfather would throw money at her as long as he got what he wanted.”

  A Dr. Oz producer had tracked down John Taylor, now ninety-three, and asked for his comments.

  “No, I don’t think they were sexually abused when they were little,” he told the producer. “I’m sure they weren’t.”

  * * *

  That night, the Perris City Council discussed the House of Horrors, praying for the thirteen children’s recovery.

  “Our hearts and prayers are with that family,” said Mayor Vargas, “with those kids as they continue to progress in their therapy. It’s been an extremely tough month for all of us.”

  The council also donated $10,000 to the Perris Victims of Neglect Fund.

  On Wednesday, the Corona Chamber of Commerce hosted a “dine-out day” to raise money for the Turpin siblings. More than three dozen restaurants participated, donating 20 percent of their takings that day to the children’s fund. More than $400,000 had now been raised, with contributions coming from as far away as Italy.

  Amy Duggar King, a cousin of the stars of the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, announced that she wanted to adopt all thirteen of the Turpin siblings. Ironically, this was the show that David and Louise had always dreamed of emulating.

  “I would love to show them true love and have a beautiful life and provide a secure and stable home for them,” Amy tweeted. “Anyone who can hurt animals and starve, torture children in any way needs to be hung by their toenails. Watching the news just breaks my heart. God can restore what the devil has stolen.”

  * * *

  During their long years of incarceration, the Turpin siblings had passed the time by writing songs and singing to one another. Mark Uffer would often bring his acoustic guitar into their wing at the Corona Regional Medical Center and play them music. A drummer in a local rock band, Uffer thought music would be great therapy to help them heal.

  “Music is very soothing and a great hobby,” he told People magazine. “It takes you to a quiet place.”

  One particular favorite of the older siblings was John Denver’s “Take Me Home, County Roads,” which they would sing along to.

  “They all have good voices, beautiful voices,” said Uffer, “and the tears started running down the nurses’ faces.”

  After learning that the Turpins were big John Denver fans, the late singer’s estate sent over a box of his complete discography.

  Uffer contacted the Fender guitar factory, which is located in Corona, asking if it could donate some guitars to the siblings. The legendary guitar maker was only too happy to oblige, sending over thirteen acoustic guitars.

  After they were delivered to the hospital, staff lined them all up against a wall, labeled with each siblings’ name. The kids were then brought in and given the guitars. They were overjoyed and overcome by the gifts.

  “The sight would have brought you to your knees,” said Uffer. “They all wanted to love you and hug you and say thanks. They are very appreciative.”

  Before being rescued, none of them, except Joshua, had ever seen a real guitar before, except on television or in the movies.

  “To [see them] actually physically hold a guitar,” reflected Uffer, “was heartwarming to watch. They didn’t know what to do with it, but they liked the sounds it made.”

  They immediately started guitar lessons, held in a hospital conference room, and had sing-alongs. Another favorite was Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly,” the emotional, optimistic lyrics really resonating with them all.

  “They fell in love with the song,” said Uffer. “They seem to understand it.”

  * * *

  Wednesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day—marked the one-month anniversary of the children’s escape. To celebrate, the Turpin siblings all received special gifts from the Corona Chamber of Commerce.

  Chamber president Bobby Spiegel had received a call from a woman in North Carolina who had just started her own porcelain doll business.

  “She said she’d like to send a couple of dolls,” said Spiegel. “And I said I need ten. And so she hung up the phone and prayed.”

  The woman, who makes collectable religious dolls, emailed all her customers and vendors asking for money to buy supplies. Within a day, they had donated enough for her to make each of the Turpin girls her own personalized doll.

  “They’re beautiful,” said Spiegel, “and we gave them to the girls on Valentine’s Day, and they fell in love with them.”

  But the chamber did not forget the three boys, who had already grown out of the clothes bought for them a month earlier.

  “One of the best blessings is that they’re being nourished with good food and exercise,” said Spiegel. “So the pants that we had bought them early on don’t fit them, and we went out and bought them each three new pairs of pants for Valentine’s Day.”

  Staff at the Corona Medical Center had also set up an outdoor area, where the siblings could exer
cise and play soccer and basketball. They were eating well for the first time in their lives. They loved lentil soup, fish, and lasagna, but still couldn’t tolerate burritos.

  The siblings delighted in making personalized bracelets for hospital staff, using lettered beads to spell names and funny messages.

  “They would take the stretchy twine they make bracelets out of,” said Uffer, “and would make one for me saying, ‘Outstanding CEO’ or ‘Coolest CEO ever.’ We had lots of donations of crafts, people sending Play-Doh, crayons, and coloring books.”

  They also left Post-it notes in various staff offices to show their appreciation. They would write things like “We love you” and “Thank you for taking care of us.” They even left one for the hospital CEO with a picture of a horse and the message, “Green Acres is the place for Mark Uffer.”

  “They do have a good sense of humor,” said Uffer. “They are very loving, [and] you can tell they are hungry for attention.”

  * * *

  One morning, someone snuck onto the Turpin property and stole one of David Turpin’s cars. A few hours later, his Volkswagen Beetle disappeared too. Then someone slashed the tires of the Turpins’ Chevrolet van. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department soon arrested a twenty-nine-year-old drifter for the theft of the Volkswagen. The first car stolen has never been recovered.

  A month after their lives had been turned upside down, Muir Woods Road was slowly returning to normal for the Turpins’ neighbors. Since the arrest, the street had been besieged by media from all over the world. A dozen television trucks had occupied most of the available curb space, and residents could not step outside without reporters questioning them about the Turpin family.

  Neighbor Kimberly Milligan said her street had become “an amusement park.”