RIVERSIDE – (INT) – The Perris couple who operated the so-called ‘House of Horrors’ are beginning their 25-year prison sentences.

Some of the 13 children of David and Louise Turpin gave victim ‘impact’ statements Friday before a Riverside Superior Court judge handed down the sentence the couple agreed to under a plea bargain.

“My parents took my whole life from me but now I'm taking my life back,” said one of the daughters, who is now a college student. “I’m a fighter and I’m strong.”

A son told the court, "I cannot describe in words what we went through growing up. Sometimes I still have nightmares of things that happened, such as my siblings being chained up or getting beaten."

Authorities said the children are getting the help they need and are hopeful life will get better for them.

The children were kept confined to their Perris home for years under the guise of home schooling.

The Turpins were arrested in January 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter was able to use a deactivated cell phone to call 911.

Story Date: April 23, 2019