Judge Bars Parents From Contacting 13 Kids Who Were Tortured, Chained

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA/AP) — A judge has prohibited two Perris parents accused of torturing their 13 children and keeping them chained to beds for months from seeing their children.

The court proceeding is the latest step as authorities seek to sever ties between David and Louise Turpin and their children — between 2 and 29 years old — who were rescued from their home in Perris on Jan. 14. They have pleaded not guilty to torture, abuse and other charges.

On Wednesday, a judge signed a protective order prohibiting the parents from contacting any of their children, except through attorneys or investigators.

Before the brief hearing, Louise Turpin, who wore a white button down shirt and jacket, looked at her husband and smiled.

All of the children remained hospitalized and were relieved to be out of the home that authorities have described as a torture chamber, Hestrin said.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Perris Torture Case

Deputies arrested the husband and wife after their 17-year-old daughter climbed out a window and called 911. Authorities found the siblings in the family's filthy home, with three of them shackled to beds.

Investigators have learned that the children were isolated from each other and locked in different rooms in small groups, Hestrin said.

The children did not have access to televisions or radios but were able to read and write and expressed themselves in hundreds of journals that were seized from the home, the district attorney said.

"It appears to me that they lacked any kind of understanding about how the world worked," Hestrin said.

One of the older boys had taken a variety of classes at Mt. San Jacinto College, a community college, but his mother took him to the campus and waited outside class for him, Hestrin said. The college confirmed that one of the Turpins had been a student but refused to provide additional information, including some that is generally releasable under federal privacy laws.

Earlier this week, Louise Turpin's half-brother, Billy Lambert, told several news organizations that she had aspired to have a reality TV show focusing on their large family. But Hestrin said investigators have uncovered no evidence indicating the couple was seeking media attention or a show.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to call 1-888-934-5437.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)