They sentenced in perpetuity to the marriage that tortured his 13 children in the "House of Horror" in the US

The American couple accused of torture, mistreat and keep captives his 13 children in the "house of horror" in Southern California was sentenced on Friday to life imprisonment in a state court.

David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 50, pleaded guilty to 14 counts, including torture, child abuse and abductionand the sentence read by Judge Bernard J. Schwartz was already provided for.

The novelty of the public this Friday was the testimony of two of the children Turpin, who spoke to their parents for the first time since their arrest in January 2018.

"My parents have taken all my life, but I'm recovering"Said one of the girls, identified as Jane Doe 4." Everything is going for a reason, and what could be very bad has made me stronger. "

"I can not describe in words what we experienced as we grew up," said another of the children, who identified himself as Joshua. "Sometimes I have nightmares about things we've gone through, my brothers being chained, but it is the past and it is the present. "

"I love my parents and I forgive them for all that they did to us"He continued.

David Turpin, wearing a brown shirt and a purple tie, and Louise, dressed in black, were crying while listening to testimonials loaded with religious references.

The couple was arrested in January 2018 after one of their daughters, then 17, managed to escape from the "horror house" located in Perris, south-east. is from Los Angeles, and called the police.

The authorities discovered the unhealthy conditions and conditions in which the 13 children, aged between 3 and 29, were at the time. tied with ropes or chains and locked in cages. Some even presented photos of severe malnutrition and according to what they said only that they allowed them a shower a year.

"It's him most horrible case I've seen my entire career as a prosecutor, "acknowledged Mike Hestrin, Riverside's attorney last February.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done to my kids, I love them a lot," she said, holding back her tears in a statement before hearing her sentence. "I just want the best for them, their happiness is very important, I want them to know how special they are and how proud I am of them."

"I never wanted to hurt them," he said. "I pray that you stay together and take care of each other because dad and mom can not be here."

The 13 siblings between the ages of 3 and 30 are in county and child welfare services.

Jane Doe 4 and Joshua both stated that they were at the university, that they lived in an apartment and that they could move independently, that they appreciated their new freedom and the friends they had knotted.

The young man said that he had learned to ride a bike and had studied program engineering. "I learned to speak for myself, to swim, to eat healthy, to manage my money," he said.

Judge Schwartz told the couple that his actions were "selfish, cruel and inhuman" and he badured that they would not be sentenced to a harsher punishment because they had decided to admit their guilt from the beginning, avoiding that their children would be forced to declare themselves guilty.

"Children are a gift for parents and friends, they are a gift for society," said the judge.

One of the children's testimonies, identified as being Joy and read by a lawyer, found that a 25-year sentence "was very long" and asked the judge to allow them to see their parents.

"I believe with all my heart that our parents tried to do their best to raise us to 13, that they wanted to give us a good life," he said, recollecting his trips to Disneyland and at the Grand Canyon.

The judge maintained the order that forbidden to maintain contact. David and Louise will be able to apply for parole in 25 years.