Six of the 13 Turpin siblings placed in foster care after being rescued from the captivity of their sadistic parents are seeking a settlement with the foster home, alleging they were sexually and emotionally abused by their foster parents.
“Some of the children say what they went through in foster care was even worse than what they went through at the hands of their parents,” said attorney Eran Zechzer, who represents the Turpin children. he said. Sun on tuesday.
The six youngest Turpin children filed a lawsuit in July 2022 against Riverside County, California, and Childnet Youth and Family Services, a private foster care agency.
The children were indicted after allegations were made in a civil lawsuit alleging that they suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse while in the care of foster parents Marcelino and Rosa Holguin.
Marcelino Holguin was arrested in January 2021 and charged with 13 crimes, including indecency with a child and intentional child abuse, for allegedly killing two of his siblings.
His wife, Rosa Holguin, 58, and the couple's daughter, Lenise, 37, were also arrested and charged with fraud and witness intimidation.
According to a 2022 indictment obtained by the Post, the creep's alleged adoptive father “grabbed and caressed the children's buttocks, legs, and breasts, kissed them on the mouth, and made sexual suggestions to them.” He has been accused of sexually abusing her by “making comments.”
“The most difficult thing for me was when they were at Trupin's house, they were told that they didn't deserve to be like everyone else, that they were bad children, that they were bad people. It was forced on me,'' explained Sechzer.
The lawsuit also alleges that the adoptive father told the children to kill themselves because they were simply targeted by their parents for being “unlovable.”
“The foster family then takes advantage of that and makes the feelings worse, saying, 'Nobody needs you, look at what your parents did, they were right, you're nothing.' ''Sechzer told the media.
Heartbreaking allegations against foster families included that children were force-fed until they vomited and then forced to eat the vomit.
“When you have a lot of people in your life telling you that you're nothing and you don't deserve what other people are getting in life, that has a big impact on your psyche,” says Zechzer. I did.
The Holguin family has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Criminal proceedings against them are still pending.
The brothers' story first captivated and shook the nation late at night on January 14, 2018, when 17-year-old Jordan Turpin fled his family's “house of horrors.” She informed her parents and bravely called 911 to save her siblings. .
Police found the Turpin children (ranging in age from 2 to 29) chained, malnourished and abused by their parents, David and Louise Turpin.
The callous couple were arrested and both later pleaded guilty to 14 counts of abuse. Both parents were sentenced to life in prison in 2019.
The Turpins spent several weeks in the hospital before Riverside County and ChildNet placed them in a nursing home run by Holguin.
Brett Lewis, a spokesperson for ChildNet Youth and Family Services, said the company stands by its track record of providing foster care services even after the 2022 lawsuit.
“At this time, our organization is not at liberty to disclose the facts or discuss the allegations contained in the complaint,” Lewis said. “We look forward to providing the facts in court in a timely manner. Our agency has served California's most vulnerable and traumatized youth for over 50 years. We have a strong track record of providing excellent care and will continue to demonstrate our commitment to children.”
The six youngest Trupin siblings are currently seeking a huge settlement over allegations of abuse in the foster care system, saying they were devastated that the children had to deal with this abuse twice. Sechzer said.
“As a former head of Riverside County's sexual assault and child sexual abuse units, I have seen the worst of the worst,” the attorney said.
“Honestly, I've seen worse situations than what happened at Turpin's house, but once you see what happened to them, you can only dream that the county and police would step in and put them back together.” I didn't even think about it.'' The second time was at a similar place. ”
The brothers' attorneys declined to provide specific numbers they were seeking in their lawsuit against Riverside County and ChildNet, but said the amount must be “shocking” considering the abuse their clients suffered. .
“The best way to bring about change is through a pocketbook. I truly believe I've seen that firsthand,” he told the outlet.
